The results of the project Nordic border trade and tourism 2011 is now public. The aim of the project is to measure trips and the economic impact of the trips to Sweden from other Nordic countries.
In 2011 Norwegian, Finnish and Danish tourists spent a total of SEK 38 billion in retail sales. 20 billion comes from grocery stores and 18 billion from durable goods. This corresponds to 7 percent of sales in the Swedish retail and 16 000 employments. The Norwegians did 9.5 million trips to Sweden in 2011. The corresponding figure for the Danish tourists were 2.9 million trips and for the Finnisch tourists 3.5 million trips. Of the Norwegian trips 2/3 were daytrips with shopping as the main purpose. And this means that the Norwegian tourists account for most of the border trade, with about 25 billion.
- The border trade is extensive and of great importance for the Swedish retail trade as well as the Swedish labor market. The key to success is the Norwegians who account for the majority of the border trade. The price difference is so large that fluctuations in exchange rates will not affect the desire to visit Sweden, the lowprice country, said Fredrik Junkka, analyst at HUI Research.
The Nordic tourism and border trade has a huge impact on some regions in Sweden. The effect is greatest in those regions which have good public transport in the densely populated areas in Norway. The Nordic tourism had greatest impact on Strömstad with over 3.6 million trips. This could be compared to Stockholm which had 2.6 million visiting tourists from the Nordic countries in 2011. The second largest regional effect was in Eda by 1.2 million trips.
- That Strömstad attract more Nordic shopping guests than Stockholm is fascinating and highlights once again the Norwegians importance of Swedish tourism, says Fredrik Junkka.
About the survey: The survey calculates the number of Nordic trips to Sweden and analyzes the significance of these trips for the Swedish retail industry. The survey is carried out continuously by the HUI Research and commissioned by Svensk Handel, Tillväxtverket, Region Värmland, Västra Götaland and the West Västsvenska Turistrådet.
For more information or questions please contact Fredrik Junkka at HUI Research, +46(0)8-7627296