Travel Tuesdays With Quilt: All Roads Lead to Sweden
Come October, travelers interested in seeing the northern lights start gearing up for a trip to Scandinavia. While Iceland and Norway remain the most popular choices to witness the aurora borealis, Finland and Sweden are equally enthralling and better suited for budget travelers. With international borders opening up and countries easing COVID travel restrictions, we see growing search interest for Sweden from the United States, the United Kingdom, and within Sweden. This is followed by Germany, the Netherlands, France, and other Nordic countries.
International travelers are scouting for budget deals, with +540% growth in searches for flight deals and +163% for visa application rules, indicating high intent on making a trip to Sweden. On the other hand, decreasing concerns include downloading the vaccine passport app (-100%), getting the malaria vaccine (-73%), and buying travel insurance (-60%).
All roads lead to Sweden
Sweden is known for its picturesque coastal islands, inland lakes, glaciers, and boreal forests. It is also known for its museums, outdoor activities, royal palaces, and ancient runestones. We deployed our Culture AI tools to scan through 500+ social media posts of Sweden. ‘Solitude’ was the top emotion detected from travelers’ posts, proving that Sweden can be a great destination to connect with oneself. The top themes were ‘going on an adventure’ and ‘everyday life.’ Based on these insights, we curated a list of unique travel experiences in Sweden.
Artistic immersion in Stockholm
Stockholm, the capital city built on 14 islands, is the most popular destination in Sweden. With a mix of breathtaking natural landscapes and a vibrant art scene, there’s a lot to do here. Djurgården island has beautiful woodland trails and calm waters and is home to Stockholm’s most popular museums. It’s the perfect place to explore five centuries of Swedish houses and meet wild Nordic animals at Skansen, while the Vasa Museum features a 17th-century ship.
Fotografiska, on the other hand, is a panoramic photo gallery located in an old waterfront red-brick building with an eclectic collection of photographs. What’s more, Stockholm’s metro network is one of the world’s longest art galleries, with each station displaying unique artwork.
A visit to Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second most popular destination in Sweden. The Paddan tour takes visitors through Gothenburg’s harbor and 17th-century canals. They can also take a ferry to the Gothenburg Archipelago to explore old shipping settlements and fishing villages, and take kayaking trips in the islands’ nature reserves.
Taste of the Viking Life
For more adventurous travelers, a taste of Viking Life is something that cannot be missed. Birka is Sweden’s most well-known Viking village and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ancient burial grounds and old runes can be explored here, while the museum is a great place to learn more about the Vikings. The Storholmen Living Village, Foteviken Open Air Museum, the Rök Runestone, and the Stornäset Viking House are some other Viking villages and museums worth visiting. Domestic travelers seem to be heading to Visby to experience Viking culture and chase scenic views in Malmo.
Werewolves Tour
Fascinating, mystical, and often misunderstood creatures, werewolves were hunted to near extinction in the mid-1900s. A small population was discovered in the 1980s and Sweden is home to 300+ werewolves today. While the tours conducted by the Scandinavian Wolf Project don’t guarantee sightings, there is a high chance that participants will hear their howls at night, bringing alive all those childhood fantasy tales.
Travelers can also go on a moose safari or take a husky tour to see the northern lights.
The best part about Sweden is that it has a plethora of activities for travelers of varied interests. From luxury getaways to cultural immersion and outdoor adventures, there’s something for everyone. Based on our research, here are the top picks catering to different interests and travel motivations:
Key takeaways for brands
What are the key takeaways for brands in the hospitality industry in Sweden? Our research tells us that travelers are seeking adventure and exploration as COVID restrictions loosen. Trekking and hiking trips are in high demand — especially the King’s trail, the High Coast trail, and the Skåneleden trail. Based on recent searches, holiday deals for packaged tours and flights, flexible bookings, multiple payment options, and loyalty programs are sure to attract both international and domestic travelers.
Brands can incorporate these insights into their marketing campaigns and communication. We deployed our AI-powered content creation tool, Create, to make some ads for travel brands in Sweden. Here’s what it generated:
Want to play with our AI tools or get some more travel industry insights? Write to us at anurag.banerjee@quilt.ai.
