So far, no changes in booking trends are visible when TT calls around to some campsites and holiday villages. Tourists are generally booking later and later, but campsite hosts would not be surprised if higher transport costs and uncertainty have an impact.
"If it feels unsafe in the world, you want to stay home. I think many people feel that, everyone you talk to says so," says Catrin Fägersten-Sörenson, manager of Saxnäs Camping on Öland.
More holidays at home
This could result in more Swedish tourists, but fewer foreign visitors.
Right now, the economic outlook probably feels especially uncertain for those who haven't yet planned their vacation. Do you dare to fly when experts are talking about the risk of a shortage of jet fuel? And a longer vacation by car, how expensive will it be and what happens if there is rationing?
Regardless of the world situation and the economy, Swedes spend about the same amount of money on their vacation, research shows. Even during the pandemic, households did not hold back on their vacation budgets more than marginally, according to Robert Pettersson, director of the tourism research center Etour in Östersund.
Hope for the Norwegians
However, we are changing our travel habits. Transportation costs account for a large part of the travel budget. If transportation becomes more expensive, we choose shorter trips.
We have become more risk-aware after the pandemic. Swedes and people in the Western world in general have started to be much more aware of what applies to cancellations and travel insurance, says Pettersson.
At the campsites in Skellefteå/Byske they hold a trump card.
"We are in an industry where vehicles are an important issue, but most of our guests are from Norway, and many have electric cars," says Celia Yoshida Ahlin, manager of two municipal campsites in Skellefteå.
