Sweden has in recent years lost guest nights compared to its Nordic competitors; however, the trend is once again positive.
According to the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), Italy accounted for 310,564 guest nights in 2024, which is 32,000 more than in 2019. The period January–November 2025 shows a 13% increase compared to the same period in 2024, with a total of 324,655 overnight stays. Stockholm accounts for just over half of these overnight stays, followed by Västra Götaland, Norrbotten and Skåne as the regions with the highest number of Italian guest nights.
The Nordic countries are trendy travel destinations. Travel between Italy and the Nordic region is balanced between winter and summer, with peaks in December for winter travel and in July–August for summer travel, while travel during the shoulder seasons is increasing. All indications suggest that “coolcation” is here to stay, as several Nordic countries recorded their highest number of Italian guest nights in August. Italian tour operators confirm that all summer months of 2025 have seen a significant increase in travel to the destination. Demand for winter trips to Lapland continues to grow, and Swedish Lapland is now gaining market share as mass tourism in Finnish and Norwegian Lapland has prompted tour operators to seek more genuine and lesser-known destinations without large-scale tourism. Gateway South is currently working with its partner Arctic Sweden Visitors Board on a project aimed at establishing a direct flight route from Italy to Luleå. Italian groups are generally smaller, which suits many accommodation providers in Swedish Lapland and enables the offering of unique, sustainable and small-scale products.
In addition, Italian visitors are increasingly requesting travel by train, both for international journeys and for domestic routes such as between Stockholm and Swedish Lapland. This is due to growing awareness of environmental sustainability, but also because of comfort and the feeling of not being in a hurry — so-called slow travel.
As usual, in 2024 hotels were the most popular form of accommodation: 83% of Italian guest nights were spent in hotels, 8% in hostels and 5% at campsites.