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Visit Scotland | Alba

Overview

  • With direct flights from Scotland to Stockholm, Swedish visitors come to explore our vast open landscapes
  • In 2022, Sweden was Scotland’s fourteenth largest international source market by number of visits. It was fifteenth by expenditure and seventeenth by number of nights
  • Swedish visitors accounted for 2% of all overseas visits and 1% of all overseas in Scotland
  • Our factsheet highlights the latest annual data on the volume and value of Swedish visitors to Scotland from the International Passenger Survey (IPS)
  • Find methodology information within the official statistics and partners section

Sweden factsheet 2022

Published July 2023

Key statistics

64,000

total number of trips by Swedish visitors to Scotland in 2022

345,000

total number of nights spent in Scotland by Swedish visitors in Scotland in 2022

£46 million

total spend by Swedish visitors to Scotland in 2022

5.4

average nights per trip by Swedish visitors to Scotland in 2022

Source: IPS, 2019 (caution low sample size for Sweden and numbers have been rounded)

1. Executive summary

In 2022, Sweden was Scotland’s fourteenth largest international source market by number of visits. It was fifteenth by expenditure and seventeenth by number of nights.

Swedish visitors accounted for 2% of all overseas visits and 1% of all overseas in Scotland in 2022.

2022 saw a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume and value of visits from Sweden were both higher in 2022 than 2019.

The average spend per visit in 2022 was £718. The average spend per night was £134.

The average length of stay was 5.4 nights.

Source: IPS, 2022 (caution low sample size for Sweden)

2. VisitBritain MIDAS research 2022

In 2022, our partner, VisitBritain undertook comprehensive research with international leisure travellers. They spoke to global tourists from many markets, including Sweden.

Whilst the research focuses on perceptions and experiences of Britain, there are insights which are useful for the Scottish tourism industry.

Read the full VisitBritain MIDAS research

3. Official statistics and partners

The International Passenger Survey (IPS) is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It covers all major air, sea and tunnel ports.

The survey provides information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK. Anonymous face to face interviews are undertaken with a sample of passengers entering and leaving the UK.

Find out more on the survey methodology on the ONS website.

Read further ONS publications.

 Read how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the IPS data collection. 

4. Additional research resources

Related links