It is a rapidly growing sector, that of outdoor holidays in Sweden. 2025 closed with a new record for Swedish campsites, which reached 17.3 million overnight stays, more than 520,000 more than the previous year. And this is not only domestic tourism, but also international tourism, with visitors from Germany and the Netherlands leading the ranking of foreign arrivals.
Today, camping represents the main form of accommodation chosen by European tourists visiting Sweden during the summer season: between June and August, in fact, 44% of all overnight stays by European visitors were recorded in open-air accommodation facilities. The county of Kalmar had the highest share of camping overnight stays: seven out of ten tourist nights during the summer.
This positive moment for camping is captured in the new annual report by Svensk Camping, which describes a sector in constant expansion and with significant further development potential. As underlined by Martin Juhos, Chief Executive Officer of Svensk Camping, the sector is stable and growing, but the report also aims to highlight the challenges and opportunities ahead. Among the priorities identified is the extension of the tourist season beyond the month of July, with the aim of creating new jobs and strengthening destinations across the country.
Focus on international promotion and quality of the offer
Today, the camping sector generates a turnover of around 12 billion Swedish kronor (around €1.1 billion) and provides approximately 7,000 full-time equivalent jobs. To support its growth, the report highlights the need for closer cooperation between tourism businesses, destinations and public institutions, through more coordinated and long-term international promotion. In this direction is also the commitment of Svensk Camping, which is involved in several international marketing projects, including the Interreg programme Nordic Camping Experience, developed in cooperation with Norway.
The study also shows how the sector is evolving thanks to the continuous improvement of the quality of the offer, increasing attention to sustainability, and changing travel behaviours. This is a trend affecting the whole of Europe: in 2025, campsites in the European Union exceeded 413 million overnight stays, confirming the strong momentum of open-air tourism and touring travel across the continent.
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