Ana M. López
Research expert covering travel, tourism and hospitality
Accommodation in Sweden - statistics & facts
The tourism industry is developing rapidly in Sweden, as an increasing number of people travel to the Scandinavian country. More than 65 million overnight stays were registered in Sweden in 2018, of which 17.3 million overnight stays were inbound visits. The tourist consumption amounted to 337 billion Swedish kronor that same year and is estimated to generate 603 billion kronor in 2028. More specifically, hotels with restaurants generated the highest turnover by far, followed by conference centers with lodging.
Aside from contributing a significant amount to the Swedish gross domestic product (GDP), the expanding industry also creates jobs all over the country. In the past years, the number of accommodation establishments has been growing, reaching over three thousand in 2019. Most overnight stays took place in hotels that year, amounting to around 38 percent of all overnight stays. Furthermore, about 16 percent were recorded on camping sites, while around three percent took place in hostels or holiday villages, respectively. Another notable accommodation type in Sweden are holiday houses. Nearly 607 thousand people owned a holiday house in Sweden in 2019, most of which were located in the counties of Västra Götaland and Stockholm. Many holiday houses belong to foreigners and are particularly popular with Norwegians, Danes, and Germans.
As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in March 2020, both the tourism and the accommodation industry went through some challenging months. While the revenue per available room (RevPAR) of hotels in Stockholm amounted to 61 euros in February 2020, it dropped down to 12 euros as of June. Unlike its neighboring countries, Sweden refrained from closing its borders amid the crisis, meaning that tourists were able to travel to the country. While the number of overnight stays was especially low in April 2020, it increased again in June, indicating that a growing number of tourists were once again visiting the country.
Aside from contributing a significant amount to the Swedish gross domestic product (GDP), the expanding industry also creates jobs all over the country. In the past years, the number of accommodation establishments has been growing, reaching over three thousand in 2019. Most overnight stays took place in hotels that year, amounting to around 38 percent of all overnight stays. Furthermore, about 16 percent were recorded on camping sites, while around three percent took place in hostels or holiday villages, respectively. Another notable accommodation type in Sweden are holiday houses. Nearly 607 thousand people owned a holiday house in Sweden in 2019, most of which were located in the counties of Västra Götaland and Stockholm. Many holiday houses belong to foreigners and are particularly popular with Norwegians, Danes, and Germans.
As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in March 2020, both the tourism and the accommodation industry went through some challenging months. While the revenue per available room (RevPAR) of hotels in Stockholm amounted to 61 euros in February 2020, it dropped down to 12 euros as of June. Unlike its neighboring countries, Sweden refrained from closing its borders amid the crisis, meaning that tourists were able to travel to the country. While the number of overnight stays was especially low in April 2020, it increased again in June, indicating that a growing number of tourists were once again visiting the country.
