The year 2019 offers a very good opportunity to visit Sweden for all of you who want to travel to the Scandinavian country for the first time or spend yet another holidays on the Nordic country. Sweden is still trending as a tourist destination and a proof of this is the growing number of tourists who travel mainly to the capital, Stockholm, but also other cities like Gothenburg and Malmö or regions like Dalarna.
Kayaking in the Stockholm archipelago
Photo: Henrik Trygg / imagebank.sweden.se
In 2017, Sweden received more tourists than ever, according to the Tillväxtverket, which is responsible for compiling the figures. The increase was from 4% to a maximum of 16.2 million overnight stays.
The most visited regions in Sweden are: Stockholm and its county, the region of Västra Götaland where Gothenburg is located, Scania with Malmö as featured destination, Dalarna – the most Swedish region and cradle of the typical wooden horse – and Jämtland with Åre, a destination for outdoor activities in winter and summer, as main attraction.
The five regions most visited by tourists in Sweden
Photo: Tillväxtverket
This year 2019 is even better for several reasons and a very important one has to do with the economy and the local currency depreciating. The exchange rate from euros to Swedish crowns is increasingly favorable to tourists as the following capture shows.
Monthly Exchange Rate Euro (EUR) vs Swedish krona (SEK)
During the past 12 months, the Swedish krona has depreciated a lot, reaching prices levels of 2009.
In March 2018, the exchange rate was 10.23 SEK/EUR and today May 8 reached 10.75 SEK / EUR (check current exchange rate here). That means that if you travel from a European country using EUR to Sweden this summer and the trend remains intact your holidays will be around 27% cheaper than 5 years ago and 5% than last year.
Monthly Exchange Rate USD vs SEK for the Past Years
The situation for Americans traveling to Sweden and exchanging dollars to Swedish crowns is even better as the exchange rate went from 6.38 SEK/USD in January 2014 to 9.13 SEK/USD last year and 9.61 SEK/USD today. That means you will be saving around 33% on your holidays compared to five years ago and 5% to last year.
Same situation with pound sterling (GBP) rating at 12.50 SEK/GBP today vs 10.30 SEK/GBP in 2017.
So if you are looking for a powerful reason to convince yourself and your family or friends to travel to Sweden this year this is a good one.
Hi, great post!
I must say #1 is a little misleading because although the exchange rate is in most tourist favor, the value of mostly everything in Sweden is on par or more than America, England, and rest of Europe. Aka things cost relatively the same or more, so you are not saving money in that sense. Stockholm, in particular can be compared to New York city prices.