Spenn, resor i filmens fotspår och julens heta destinationer

We're currently in the fabulous city of Tallinn, but that doesn't stop us from bringing you travel news. This week, we're talking about everything from 'spenn' to the hot long-haul holidays of Christmas and New Year. Stay tuned!

Table of contents

Piteå hot for holidaymakers

Things have been going well for Piteå this summer. The number of guest nights in Piteå was almost 265,000, which is the highest of all municipalities in Norrbotten and Västerbotten. During the summer, camping accounted for just over 63 per cent of all guest nights, which is significantly higher than the average in Sweden, Norrbotten and Västerbotten. Pite Havsbad plays an important role here, as the largest tourist and conference centre in the Nordic region. The central Västra Kajen campsite also experienced a hot summer.

Most wanted destinations for Christmas and New Year

Christmas comes at a good time this year and with only six days of holiday, Swedish travellers can get a full 17 days of uninterrupted leave. The travel search site momondo offers tips for travellers who want to keep prices down. Currently, 21 December is the most expensive departure date, while prices on 27 December are significantly lower. For the return journey, avoid 4 January if you want to fly cheap. Data from 2023 shows that travellers find the most affordable long-haul flights when booking during week 48. momondo's most popular destinations for Christmas and New Year:

Bangkok, Thailand
Phuket City, Thailand
Miami, USA
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Málaga, Spain
Manila, Philippines
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Denpasar, Indonesia
Krabi, Thailand

New Spenn benefits currency launched in the Nordics

The loyalty programmes of Norwegian and Strawberry now use Spenn. The long-term goal is to create a reward currency that can be used across several well-known brands and partners in the Nordic region. With Spenn, Norwegian Reward members can pay in full or in part for airline tickets and hotel nights, as well as earn Spenn on travel. In the future, it will also be possible to earn Spenn with other partners. Members of both Norwegian and Strawberry, totalling seven million members, can now download the new Spenn app.

Travelling in the footsteps of film at Sembo

Now you can travel to the iconic locations from your favourite films and series, all on your own terms. With Sembo, you create the journey, whether you want to walk in Harry Potter's footsteps through Scotland, feel Emily in Paris vibes on a Montmartre rooftop, or explore the epic landscapes of Game of Thrones in Croatia. At Sembo, you can now find film-inspired trips, which can be fully customised to suit your needs, tastes and wallet.

Strawberry opens the Nordic region's largest airport hotel at Arlanda

With its 656 hotel rooms, congress hall, restaurants and bars, Strawberry's new hotel at Arlanda will be Stockholm's largest hotel and the largest airport hotel in the Nordic region. The property owner is Swedavia Real Estate. The hotel will open in the first quarter of 2029.

80 million potential visitors to Sweden reveal: what we want to experience

The state-owned marketing company Visit Sweden has commissioned a comprehensive analysis of the tourism target group for Sweden, which includes approximately 80 million potential visitors to Sweden. In total, over 9,000 interviews were conducted with global travellers who are potential visitors to Sweden in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, the UK, the US and Sweden. Some highlights from the brand new analysis:

Sweden is no longer perceived as expensive by the target group, as it has been for decades.
85 % think that Sweden is an interesting destination; 55 % have already been here and want to return.
Sweden's nature ranks as the number one reason for holidaying in Sweden from Denmark, France, Germany, the USA - and by Swedes themselves.

reflection of the week

We understand that many foreign tourists want to experience Sweden's fantastic nature! The fact that Sweden is no longer perceived as expensive is probably because it is no longer as expensive, which we Swedes also experience when we travel abroad ... it is rarely "cheap" for us to holiday in other countries.

Did you miss the last travel news? Read the Acquisition in the motorhome industry and roommate finding feature