International travel is expected to increase by 4 per cent annually until 2020, and Stockholm Arlanda Airport will play an important role in taking advantage of future potential − for the Stockholm region and Sweden. Foreign visitors spend SEK 60 billion per year in Sweden on shopping, lodgings and food.
This is more than car exports, more than pharmaceutical exports and ten times more than music exports. The domestic hospitality industry has sales of about another SEK 100 billion.
2006 – a good year for the hospitality industry
The hospitality industry in the Stockholm region had a very good year in 2006. The largest growth in the number of guest nights was from Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia and China − largely thanks to a functioning air traffic route network.
Tourism sales grew by nearly SEK 2 billion to SEK 20.9 billion in Stockholm County during 2006, compared to 2005.