23% increase in Tourists from India to Sweden

TravelMail BreakingNews ( #www.travelmail.in )
[dropcap]M[/dropcap]umbai: There is a 23 per cent increase in the number of tourists from India to Sweden.  An improved people to people exchange, increased trade between the two nations, a concerted Government interest from both sides and direct flights have contributed to this growth. These results were shared by Visit Sweden and the Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai at a seminar conducted Scandavian Tourism Board in Mumbai.
More than a 190 Swedish companies are registered in India including Ericsson, Volvo, H&M, Scania, DeLaval, Tetra Pak and the latest entrant being the much-awaited, global home furnishings giant IKEA. In addition, several small and medium enterprises and Swedish startups have India plans. This growing bridge between India and Sweden has impacted tourism positively.
“The excellent relations between Sweden and India which have developed over the past few years with PM Löven and PM Modi’s respective visits, the joint declaration, joint action plan and the adoption of strategic partnership on innovation, are paving the way for increased bilateral visits and people to people contacts,” says Ulrika Sundberg, Consul General of Sweden to Mumbai.
“We have noticed the ‘bleisure’ travel trend – a combination of business and leisure travel. In addition, according to Statistics Sweden, there are 17,000 Indian passport holders residing in Sweden today. This along with other factors has led to an increase in tourism from India,” says Michael Persson Gripkow, Chief Brand & Communications Officer at Visit Sweden, Sweden’s Official Tourism Board.
There is a 100 per cent increase in the number of visa applications from India for Sweden from 2014 to 2018.
Ruth Dolla, Project Manager – India, Visit Sweden adds: “We look forward to further growth this year and in 2019. We continue to engage the travel trade community as well as the consumer and raise awareness about Sweden as a tourist destination. The direct flight from Delhi to Stockholm with Air India completed one year since its first flight in August 2017 and continues to bring incoming traffic from India to Sweden.”