Facts: 2021: The year with a record number of Swedish camping guests
The number of guest nights at Swedish campsites amounted to 15.5 million last year – an increase of 21 percent compared to 2020, according to statistics from Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth. The Swedish guest nights were a record number with 13.8 million and the international ones increased to 1.7 million compared to 580,000 during the summer of 2020.
Camping also continues to be the most popular holiday accommodation compared to other accommodation such as hotels, cottages, hostels and private rentals.
Among all tourist overnight stays, the camping option was 44 percent.
Source: Camping Sweden
Compared with last record summer, the booking situation is 20 percent higher ahead of this year’s high season, according to the camping group First Camp.
– It looks very positive and we are breaking record after record. During Easter, which is the year’s first big camping weekend and also an indication of how the summer will go, we increased sales by 28 percent compared to the record in 2021, says Johan Söör, CEO of First Camp.
During the past year, the group has expanded with 14 new destinations and now the company has 61 camping destinations in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. When First Camp has calculated the increase in sales, the increase in the number of destinations has been taken into account, according to Johan Söör.
Millions of guest nights per year, 2019–2021.
The fact that more people are getting a motorhome and caravan and that the foreign guests are also starting to return is a contributing part.
– In the Swedish market, the proportion of foreign guests usually amounts to about 25 percent and we are moving towards that now. The Norwegian guests usually make up around 12 percent and they book even better now than they did before the pandemic, says Johan Söör.
“All time high”
The campsites that TT has spoken to testify to the same thing. At Böda Sand camping on Öland, the booking rate for the summer is six percent higher compared to last year.
– At the same time, it was an extremely high booking situation last year, an all time high, says Anna Barkevall about Böda Sand.
Last year, the number of bookings was 50-60 percent higher compared to a normal year, Båstad camping told TT then. This year, the booking rate is at the same level, according to Isac Uddling, who is site manager at Båstad camping.
– It was a good season. We noticed that people wanted to go home, be outdoors and buy motorhomes and caravans, says Isac Uddling.
Although it seems to be another peak season for the country’s campsites, the sky is not cloudless. With soaring inflation, it becomes more expensive to run campsites.
– The cost side is extremely heavy this year. Every single item such as electricity, water, security, paper, and food has become more expensive, says Anna Barkevall.
More stagnant season
That inflation causes a price bang for the campsites is not so strange when the Swedish consumer price increase has not been this high in over 30 years. Inflation is now at 6.4 percent, according to the latest April figures.
At Böda Sand, the actual housing costs will not be affected when the campsite opens for bookings a year before.
– But for restaurants that need fresh produce, there will be some price adjustments so that the market price is reflected, says Anna Barkvall.
At Båstad camping and at First Camp’s various destinations, the increased food costs have also been taken into account with increased prices for food and drink. At Båstad camping, they have also raised their prices for electricity slightly.
Despite the fact that more people are eager to holiday on wheels, it seems to be a more stagnant summer season.
– We notice that more people would rather have a seasonal place. When diesel prices have risen, the campers want to stay longer in one place with the car and not visit as many campsites at a time, says Isac Uddling.