The number of foreigners taking a holiday in Sweden has gone up significantly in the first half of this year.
One notable increase was in UK residents making their way to southern Sweden, a leap of 29% in just one year.
Popular TV shows, such as The Bridge and Wallander, are believed to have influenced the trend.
The county of Skåne, the country’s southernmost region, received overall nearly 2.3 million international guests spending the night in the first six months of the year. This was a 10.5% increase compared to 2015.
While the number of Brits, a key target audience for Swedish tourism, has increased this year, they are not alone. There was an even higher percentage increase in the number of Chinese visitors (40%).
Spanish tourists also helped account for the higher figures, with a remarkable rise of 83%.
“The increase is probably due to a number of reasons… from our perspective, we know that there is an overall interest in Swedish culture and lifestyle. The Nordic food scene, nature in Skåne and also Nordic Noir, with The Bridge series and Wallander, have drawn a lot of attention,” according to tourism spokesperson Sara Brynskog.
Malmö is the county’s most populous city as well as its cultural and economic centre. It has gained the greatest number of visitors. It is in the museum here that they can find an exhibition on the programme The Bridge.
More guests are also heading for the medieval coastal town of Ystad, home of the fictional detective Kurt Wallander. Ystad hosts an “In the Footsteps of Wallander” tour.
And it is food for the tummy as well as for thought that has served to attract tourists. Three restaurants in Malmö received Michelin stars in February this year.
