Sweden Travel Awards 2025

Sweden's Travel Industry Overview

Sweden is Scandinavia's most visited country, welcoming over 8 million international visitors annually with a distinctive tourism proposition that combines world-class urban design, extraordinary natural landscapes, and iconic experiences including the Northern Lights and the midnight sun. Stockholm, consistently rated one of Europe's most beautiful capitals, is built across 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. The city's Gamla Stan (Old Town), world-leading design museums, extraordinary archipelago, and exceptional restaurant scene — including Noma-influenced New Nordic cuisine — make it one of Europe's most captivating city break destinations. The Grand Hôtel Stockholm, the Nobis Hotel, and Bank Hotel anchor a luxury city hotel market that has become increasingly sophisticated.

Sweden's most iconic tourism experience is undoubtedly the ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi, Lapland — rebuilt entirely from ice and snow every winter, it creates one of the world's most extraordinary and photographed accommodation experiences. The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) draw international visitors to northern Sweden from November to March for one of nature's most spectacular phenomena. Sweden's archipelago — over 30,000 islands and islets — provides extraordinary boating and island-hopping tourism. The ABBA Museum in Stockholm, Swedish design heritage (Ikea, Volvo, Ericsson), and the extraordinary summer midnight sun experience in northern Sweden create a tourism proposition unlike any other in the world. SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) provides global connectivity from Stockholm Arlanda and Gothenburg.