In recent years, Sweden has lost overnight stays compared to its Nordic competitors. However, the trend is once again positive, and according to Tillväxtverket, Sweden reached 235,000 Spanish overnight stays in 2023, nearing previous record years. Like in many other European countries, the Nordic countries are trending as travel destinations. Travel between Spain and the Nordics is balanced between winter and summer, with peaks in December for winter and July August for summer, though off-season travel is also increasing. Finland is the top choice for Spaniards in winter, while Norway leads in summer. Sweden has an opportunity to gain market share in this space!
Visit Finland reports that, with 178,100 overnight stays in 2023, the Spanish market has broken its 2019 record for visitor numbers to Finland. Spain is the third most important market globally (!) in terms of visitor numbers to Lapland during the winter month of December. Growth projections for the Spanish market by 2030 indicate continued strong growth, reaching 254,000 annual overnight stays (+42% compared to 2023), putting it on par with the Italian market in volume. Additionally, current bookings for Finland from Spain for June to August 2024 show a 70% increase compared to 2019, making Spain the country with the highest projected growth across all markets.
We believe Sweden can achieve similar growth, not least due to factors like favorable exchange rates and overtourism affecting several “competitors,” combined with new low-cost carrier (LCC) connections. It’s also important to highlight the potential of the LATAM markets, where Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico are rapidly growing global markets. These visitors tend to spend more and stay longer than European travelers, with Spain serving as the gateway for these markets. Gateway South can support efforts to tap into this potential.