‘The hiking trend exploded during the pandemic’

The number of people visiting the mountains in the summer has been increasing for many years, and the pandemic has reinforced this trend. What is the reason for this trend?

– A number of years ago, we conducted a survey to find out what would be the main reasons for travelling in 2020. We found that ‘the see Sweden trend’ and hiking were among the top answers. The hiking trend has therefore been going on for a long time, but it exploded during the pandemic. A whopping 60 per cent more people searched for hiking on our website. If you were to crown a winner from the pandemic, it would be nature. There is a great desire to learn new things and discover new places. We have changed the way we communicate. Instead of just informing, we focus greatly on inspiration and learning, for instance giving tips for a first-time trip to the mountains.

The pandemic has also posed great challenges for the Swedish tourism industry. How has it impacted STF’s mountain destinations?

– We lost close to SEK 100 million during the pandemic, primarily from all the cancellations during the spring of 2020. The summer of 2020 was nevertheless OK, but we made sure there was plenty of space between the beds so the visits were safe for the guests and staff. We also introduced booking requirements for visitors before they headed into the mountains. These adjustments will remain in place throughout 2021. Besides the cancellations during the late winter/early spring, the greatest challenge we faced was having to immediately stop all investments deemed unnecessary from an authority perspective. We had to postpone the much-anticipated renovation of mountain lodges and mountain stations.

The growing strain from mountain tourism has also triggered a debate on overcrowding and damage in the mountains. What has it meant for your way of communicating?

– In the run-up to summer, our primary focus is ensuring there is accommodation for everybody, and we all must take responsibility. This summer many people will be holidaying in Sweden, and it is more important than ever that we spread ourselves out so that we look after each other and nature. We cannot all be in the same place at once. That and how to holiday sustainably in Sweden are our most important messages this summer. We have put together lists of tips on less well-known destinations and regularly communicate through our social media channels about how to holiday and hike sustainably in Sweden..

Jenny Engström was interviewed by Daniel Nordlund, Senior Consultant at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.