More foreign tourists chose to spend a night in Sweden than any other Nordic country last year, with tourism up compared to 2015, according to a new round of statistics.

The number of foreign overnight stays in Sweden last year grew to 13.9 million, according to EU statistical office Eurostat – an increase of 3.1 percent on 2015. Denmark came second with 11.6 million, Norway third with 9.8 million, Iceland fourth with 6.8 million, and Finland last with 5.6 million.

The figures, based on a statistical forecast, show some clear trends.

One is that despite the growth, Sweden is at risk of slipping behind the likes of Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. Among the Nordics, the island nation saw by far the biggest percentage growth in tourism, with an 18.5 percent increase in overnight stays. Norway meanwhile also saw large growth, up by 11.4 percent compared to 2015.

According to the stats, Sweden also had a larger share of domestic overnight stays in 2016 compared to the other Nordic nations. Only 25 percent of the total overnight stays in the country that year were made up of visitors coming from abroad, compared with 36 percent in Denmark, 30 in Norway and 28 in Finland.

Northern Sweden in particular is a region experiencing a tourism boom, its regional tourist board revealed earlier this month. The number of British tourists travelling to Norrbotten has doubled since 2010, while the number of German tourists has increased by 50 percent in the same period.

The chance of seeing the Northern Lights has likely helped – not to mention the famous Icehotel in Jukkaskärvi.

Eurostat data: Tourism in EU in 2016: ec.europa.eu

Source: www.thelocal.se
Photo: Heléne Grynfarb/imagebank.sweden.se