Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö have now developed a joint marketing concept together with VisitSweden and LFV to attract more international travellers to the country’s three largest urban areas. This represents the biggest-ever project to promote “city break” trips to Sweden.
The project will run for at least three years and is expected to cost SEK 10 million annually. To strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness, the three urban regions want to work together with VisitSweden and LFV, which operates Sweden’s major airports. Foreign visitors to Sweden spend 75 per cent of their money in these urban regions. Stockholm, Gothenburg (Göteborg) and Malmö are the country’s real gateways.
Together LFV, VisitSweden, the Stockholm Visitors Board, Göteborg & Co, Malmö Tourism and the regional tourist industry around these three cities will market the largest Swedish urban regions to foreign tourists, among other things using the theme “lifestyle in a big city by the water”. The Stockholm region markets itself, together with the Lake Mälaren Valley and the archipelago, as Stockholm – The Capital of Scandinavia.
The marketing message about the three cities and Sweden will be based on a balance between the lively urban scene − and such urban experiences as food, shopping and culture − and proximity to water and enjoyment of natural scenery in the three regions. Having a common message and sharing media costs will increase the chances of reaching potential travellers amidst strong international competition. In order to succeed in generating more travel, the partners in the project will focus on presenting clear reasons for visiting Sweden and on leading travellers to direct booking opportunities through the booking systems of cities, hotels and transport companies.
The recipients of the first joint marketing campaign, which will take place before the upcoming Christmas season, will be the inhabitants of Barcelona and Berlin. Additional major European cities will be selected for targeted campaigns during the three-year period.
“For today’s travellers, major cities are the obvious gateway to each country. Stockholm is a fantastic capital. There is a breadth of choices in terms of good accommodations, shopping, enjoying restaurant and café life and experiencing various attractions and sights. It is also easy to get around the entire region, both by land and on the water. Few places can match this diversity,” says Martin Rosborg, CEO of the Stockholm Visitors Board.
The project is based on the role that major cities play as engines of European travel, as well as on extensive analyses by VisitSweden about its “global traveller” target group. Through knowledge of these travellers − who have great potential to visit Sweden − and what marketing channels reach them, the project partners hope to boost travel both in the short and long term. The joint marketing effort also aims at strengthening the brands of Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Sweden by increasing people’s awareness and creating a desire to visit.
“By increasing resources through a businesslike partnership, together with VisitSweden’s offices abroad and international marketing channels, we will greatly improve our chances of being visible in the international media buzz,” says Thomas Brühl, CEO of VisitSweden.
“The basis for more visitors is improved accessibility, and our goal together with our partners is to expand the hospitality industry by creating more non-stop routes to Sweden’s three largest urban regions,” says Kerstin Lindberg Göransson, Director of Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.
For more information:
Martin Rosborg, CEO, Stockholm Visitors Board, tel. 08-508 285 01,
Thomas Brühl, CEO, VisitSweden, tel. 08-789 10 00,
Kerstin Lindberg Göransson, Airport Director, LFV Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, tel. 08-797 61 10