Surprisingly strong summer for Stockholm’s tourism

Stockholm is growing strong as a tourist destination. Leisure travel drives the development, despite a slowdown in several markets. The summer season ended with a new record in commercial accomodations and cruise passengers.

Hotel nights spent in Stockholm increased during the summer season from June to August with 4 percent in the county compared to the same period last year. Nights spent at camping sites decreased by 17 percent, resulting in an overall increase in overnight stays by 1 percent in the county.

“Despite the eurozone crisis with an unfavorable exchange rate, Stockholm continues to attract more and more visitors. We offer unique experiences to the travellers and this is the key factor behind the fact that Stockholm is one of Europe’s fastest growing tourist destinations”, says Peter Lindqvist, CEO at Stockholm Visitors Board.

The increase is primarily driven by a continued strong development of leisure travel. A reduced number of visitors from Southern European markets such as Italy and Spain are outweighed by a strong recovery from the U.S. this summer and a continued strong growth from Russia and Poland. Hotel revenues for rooms sold totaled over over 1.7 billion SEK in the county, up 41 million SEK from last year. Moreover, the number of cruise passengers is continously growing. A total of 274 cruise ships visited Stockholm during the season. The number of cruise passengers summed up a new record, 467 000, which is 17 000 more than last year.

Top Five Visitors to Stockholm  

1. Germany – 245 000
2. USA – 133 000
3. Norway – 99 000
4. UK – 90 000
5. Finland – 73 000

For more information
Peter Lindqvist, CEO Stockholm Visitors Board
+46 73 083 85 50
peter.lindqvist@stockholm.se