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TOURISM

Sweden crashes in global tourism rankings

Transport links, prices and the quality of Sweden’s hotels have been called into question in a global report that has ranked the Nordic nation 23rd in the world for travel and tourism compared to 5th place in 2011.

Published: 7 May 2015 10:14 CEST
Sweden crashes in global tourism rankings
Boat houses in west Sweden. Photo: Fredrik Broman/Image Bank Sweden

Five years after Sweden was listed among the top five places on the planet for travel and tourism by the World Economic Forum (WEF) it has slipped out of the top 20.

The biennial WEF Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranks 141 countries across 14 separate dimensions, revealing how well countries conduct their travel and tourism sectors.

The WEF’s last report in 2013 ranked Sweden ninth, but the country has continued to tumble in the rankings due to poor ratings on transport (including air travel to and from the region), price competitiveness and international openness, defined as “how open a country is to global people, travel and services”.

Despite a global reputation as one of Europe’s top hubs for start-ups and being home of huge brands including Volvo, Ikea and H&M, Sweden’s limited conference and cultural facilities for business and leisure travellers have also been singled out in the report.

On this pillar, the Scandinavian nation scored just 2.9 out of a maximum 7.0 points that could be awarded to countries analysed for the survey.

Spain heads the WEF’s index for the first time ever in 2015 thanks to its cultural resources, growing infrastructure and adaptation to digital consumption habits.

Traditional strong travel and tourism destinations such as France, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Japan and Canada also feature in top 10. 

Sweden was also beaten by its neighbours Norway, Iceland and Finland, while Denmark ranked 27th.

READ ALSO: Weak krona is blessing for tourists

The WEF report nevertheless highly scores Sweden’s approach to travel and tourism in several areas including safety and security, health and hygiene and access to communications technologies such as wifi and satellite television.

It is also ranked among the top 10 countries for protecting its natural environment for tourists.

While the results of the study look likely to fuel ongoing debates about Sweden’s accessibility for tourists – particularly with regard to limited air travel connections – they come as the Nordic nation prepares to welcome growing numbers of tourists this summer. 

An industry report released last month predicted that foreign tourists are expected to spend a total of 115 billion kronor ($13.3 billion) this year.

Sweden is welcoming rising numbers of visitors from the UK and the US because the weak krona means that it is the cheapest time in years for travellers from these countries to visit Sweden.

TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

Published: 26 March 2024 09:55 CET
German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of €420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of €2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some €200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of €2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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