Response to interpellation 2022/23:213 on the marketing of Sweden as a tourist destination
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the tourism industry is important for employment 1 and that the government continues Visit Sweden's mission to market Sweden 1. KD emphasizes that the government focuses on regulatory simplifications and reduced administrative burden to strengthen productivity and facilitate recruitment 1 2. KD welcomes that the regulatory framework is being reviewed to remove unnecessary complications 3, abolishes the danstillstånd to reduce bureaucracy and costs 4 and emphasizes that they have an electricity support for companies 5. S argues that the government is cutting Visit Sweden's budget allocation despite the industry facing great pressures 6. S considers that Sweden is worse off than neighboring countries in marketing 6 7 and argues that the government lacks political leadership and strategy 8. S emphasizes that the tourism industry is an important integration engine 6 2 3. S argues that cuts to the environmental budget threaten the maintenance of nature 6 3.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Isak From has asked me if I intend to take further measures and actions to develop Sweden as a destination.
The tourism industry is truly important for Sweden. Despite setbacks during the pandemic, tourism has recovered well, and the total tourism consumption in Sweden amounted to 249 billion kronor in 2021. The largest part, 192 billion, was Swedes' own tourism consumption in Sweden.
What is common for companies within the tourism industry is that they are location-bound and contribute significantly to employment, not least for young people and persons with a foreign background. Cities and rural areas are attractive and lively when there is a rich range of experiences for both visitors and residents.
The government has not changed the mandate for Visit Sweden or Tillväxtverket. They continue to have responsibility for marketing and knowledge and coordination linked to tourism. During the pandemic, temporary reinforcements were made which resulted in increased appropriations. The government builds upon the consensus and knowledge that exists nationally, regionally, and locally and focuses on issues that make a difference for the companies. This applies in particular to the work with regulatory simplification and how the government can facilitate for companies to recruit competent employees.
The Government has, in this year's regulatory letter to Tillväxtverket, requested a consolidated report on measures regarding simplified reporting aimed at companies in the tourism industry. Tillväxtverket is also responsible for official statistics, which include the accommodation statistics, providing valuable knowledge about the tourism industry in Sweden.
The joint marketing of Sweden is also important for the tourism industry's companies. It reinforces and complements the regional and local destination development. Visit Sweden AB's mandate, to market all of Sweden as a tourist destination and contribute to increasing Sweden's attractiveness as a destination for both foreign and domestic visitors, remains an important part of the government's tourism policy.
Furthermore, the government prioritizes knowledge regarding the development of the tourism industry and cooperates within both the Nordic and Baltic Sea cooperation as well as the EU to create good conditions for sustainable tourism in our entire surrounding area. During Sweden's presidency in the EU, a proposal for a regulation on data collection and data sharing regarding short-term rental of accommodation was negotiated. The government welcomes the proposal. It contributes to relevant and more comprehensive statistics on tourism. The Council's decision on the general guideline was taken in Brussels last week - a task that involves an adjustment of the submitted, written interpellation response, which should be entered into the minutes.
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Energy and Business Ebba Busch!
The starting point for this interpellation is, just as the Minister for Enterprise says, that the tourism industry is incredibly important. Therefore, it was very disappointing for us to see the government's budget that was voted through here in the chamber. In it, there is actually a cut in Visit Sweden's budget allocation. It may be that we needed a special effort during the pandemic to market Sweden. But now we are, just as the government writes in the same budget bill, perhaps heading into a recession, and we see enormous pressures on our tourism companies. This applies in particular from the energy prices that we have discussed in this chamber quite repeatedly, where the government has also not implemented or delivered a decision on when electricity price subsidies to companies can actually be extended to all of Sweden.
During the previous parliamentary term, different parties submitted interpellations regarding what was described as double blows against various industries. One could also describe this as part of a double blow where one also de facto raises the employer contributions for the tourism industry companies. It is quite clear that we as Social Democrats perhaps would not have pushed it, but with a red-green cooperation, it would surely have been continued lowered employer contributions for young people for an industry that is an integration and entry engine for the working life. Many young people perhaps do their very first day's work at Liseberg or Gröna Lund, in Åre or Malå on the ski slope – all those efforts where one earns their first salary while simultaneously being part of and contributing to Sweden's development.
That is what makes the tourism industry unique – it exists throughout Sweden. In different parts of the country, we have a tourism industry. At the same time, we also see that we are performing worse than our Nordic neighbors, especially Norway and Finland, which have had a higher ambition than Sweden and where there is a larger share of non-Nordic visitors. This is because they have had a long-term strategy to market themselves. Norway markets itself particularly towards North America, and Finland markets itself with specific efforts towards Southeast Asia – Japan, South Korea, China.
This has been important for them. We also take note of it, because when one visits the Nordics, one can also travel from Finland to Sweden and from Norway to Sweden, which many also do. But Sweden also needs to be on that map. We think that is important. What we particularly want to point out is that we now, as we perhaps enter a recession, would like to have a signal from the government to the industry regarding what other measures the government intends to take to ensure that the tourism industry can continue to develop.
Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)
Mr. Speaker! The pandemic had a particularly negative impact on the tourism industry, and many businesses closed when fewer people could travel as freely. The previous government's tourism strategy was good and important for developing the tourism industry and attracting more people to our beautiful country Sweden.
I was in Piteå last week and met everyone from hotel owners to small pub owners. Everyone was worried about their businesses now that prices for things like food are very high and no announcement has been made to the companies in the north regarding an electricity price subsidy.
Investing in the tourism industry is investing in small and medium-sized enterprises, which form the basis for Sweden to continue to be an attractive tourist destination. Sweden distinguishes itself as a sustainable destination where many want to travel to experience our beautiful nature, which is also threatened by the cuts to the environmental budget, which will mean that the maintenance of nature will decrease.
But the tourism industry is not just about getting people to temporarily visit a place; it is also about making life more enjoyable for people who live and work in, for example, rural and sparsely populated municipalities and our industrial towns.
There are countless wonderful small business owners who want to contribute with their businesses to improve the quality of life for the residents in their locality. In Piteå, for example, I visited a business that has a hotel, a restaurant, a bakery, yoga classes, ceramics courses, and other activities. This makes life a little more enjoyable for the people of Piteå. And this is just one example.
We have major problems with the supply of skills in Sweden, especially in the northern part of the country where the green transition is being invested in and the number of job opportunities is increasing every day. We cannot have a society where it is expected that people should go to work, work, and then go home and sleep. People also want to live. They want to go out into nature on weekends, visit different restaurants during the weekdays, and be able to have alternatives for activities.
All activities that improve the quality of life and attract visitors also generate jobs.
A third of the employees in the tourism industry are young, and four out of ten have a foreign background. When it comes to groups where there is high unemployment today, the tourism industry is a supporting component in the fight against unemployment and segregation.
The previous government's tourism strategy was important for creating conditions for companies to be able to employ young people and newcomers. It is therefore worrying that the government has chosen to remove the tourism strategy from its website and additionally reduce the appropriations to, among other things, Visit Sweden.
Now the government does not seem to really know what it wants with the tourism industry. A political direction is crucial if we are to manage the challenges we face. And in that, the tourism industry is an important part of the solution. But the only thing the tourism industry gets with this government is reduced appropriations in area after area.
Therefore, I ask, Mr. Speaker: What does the government want for the tourism industry? What is the political direction for one of Sweden's growing industries that generates jobs and quality of life? Because it cannot be that the government thinks that Visit Sweden's mandate should be as large as before but that they should receive less money?
It is quite symptomatic of the bourgeoisie that one should streamline, but it doesn't work that way. If one is truly to invest in the Swedish tourism industry, one must also put money into it.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I want to begin by saying that the long-term goal is that the Swedish tourism industry shall continue to flourish and that we, from government to government, shall provide the best possible conditions for that. The signal shall be: World, welcome to Sweden! This is a fantastic country to vacation in, and it is a fantastic country to live and reside in. Please come and visit us!
And so we shall take the question of the money, so that it is crystal clear in my answer, beyond the formal interpellation response. We had, therefore, a special effort during the pandemic. It was intended to be temporary. Now we are no longer in an acute stage like during the pandemic when many different types of support were given to companies. Thus, it is not extended. It is not the same thing as saying it is an easy situation. We see and hear the signals from very many operators of different kinds, contractors and business owners - important parts of the tourism industry, both small and large - who are worried about the future. We understand it, and we see it.
It is also a reason, Mr. Speaker, why this government is so obsessed with the issue of regulatory simplification. This leads me to the question that Member From was touching upon: What else is the government doing?
We will place a very heavy emphasis on the need for reduced administrative burden and regulatory simplifications for those active in this industry. Regulatory simplifications for companies are an important part of the work to strengthen productivity and to ensure that more people dare to take the step and move from dream, vision, and idea to reality. The companies then contribute by creating jobs, tax revenues, and an added value in the form of a fine experience of visiting Sweden.
Swedish companies - not least the many small companies - need relief in bureaucracy and administration. It is recurring that the actors themselves point out what a hindrance the current setup is. This applies in particular to processing times, which are pointed out as an obstacle for businesses that want to grow. Therefore, the government is now taking steps to shorten them.
Mr. Speaker! In this year's regulatory letter to Tillväxtverket, the Government has requested a consolidated report on measures for simplified reporting, specifically targeted at companies in the tourism industry. We have previously pointed out the need to facilitate ownership transfers within family businesses to staff so that viable companies are not shut down unnecessarily. We will make changes to the 3:12 regulations and link this with the issue of skills supply in the educational offering.
I want to conclude with what one of the Members of Parliament was touching upon, Mr. Speaker, namely that this industry truly is an integration engine. The statistics that Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro mentioned here deserve to be highlighted again: Four out of ten employed in the tourism industry are born in a country other than Sweden. It is a huge challenge to create a larger "we" in this country and increased cohesion in a difficult time. In that case, people who do not have as strong an anchoring in the Swedish labor market as others must have clear paths in. The tourism industry is such a path, and therefore the government intends to push for regulatory changes to reduce the administrative burden so that more people dare to start companies, develop the industry, and thrive there.
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister! The 3:12 rules, I believe, deserve an entirely separate interpellation. Most well-known is perhaps that a privately employed doctor pays on average 100,000 kronor less in tax than a publicly employed one. But that is a completely different debate. We Social Democrats welcome that the regulatory framework is being reviewed and that unnecessary complications are being removed. We wait with anticipation to see what else it might entail.
The starting point for the interpellation was, as I said initially, how Sweden is marketed abroad, who should come here, and how one should work with that matter. It is a very small item in Sweden's budget, but still important. Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner have in a study and report shown that the rural municipalities that have a tourism industry on site also have better community services and greater access to business activities, restaurants, and food production in the area. It is very important for all of Sweden, and it also needs to be continued to be clarified that the tourism industry is important there as well.
I said earlier that it is about a double blow. I hadn't really thought about it before. I had a meeting with the County Administrative Board in Västerbotten, and they point out that they will basically need to remove the trail in the mountains. The mountains, from Dalarna all the way up to Treriksröset, are perhaps one of Sweden's most important destinations. The visits wear on nature. There must be marked trails, bridges, and other infrastructure, and it must function.
Those who come here also expect Sweden to be orderly, because Sweden is known for precisely that—order and tidiness. One can hope that this was a temporary parenthesis so that the focus on trail maintenance can return to what is actually needed. This is also particularly important for the mountains as a destination, regardless of whether it concerns winter time or summer tourism.
Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats welcome that the government looks into its toolbox once more and also sees that the tourism industry is an integration and entry engine where young people can get their first jobs. If Sweden is now heading into a recession, I believe that most companies expect a bit more action and more measures. In many parts of the country – not in the north, but elsewhere – unemployment is high, and many young and foreign-born people can get their first jobs in the tourism industry. Take advantage of that!
Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro (S)
Mr. Speaker! There is obviously a big difference between a Social Democratic and a bourgeois government. The only answer that small and medium-sized enterprises get from Minister Ebba Busch is that she thinks the tourism industry is important. But it needs more than well-meaning words from the Minister; what is needed is political leadership.
Mr. Speaker! Ebba Busch herself said that the tourism industry is important for Sweden. The total tourism consumption amounts to 249 billion kronor, and tourism also creates jobs. Despite this, the government is lowering the ambition for the Swedish tourism industry. This new base industry in Sweden is labor-intensive and gives many who are far from the labor market a way in.
In the current economic situation, companies within the tourism industry need the government to act. If the competence supply in the north is to be managed, the companies that ensure it is pleasant to live and work in, for example, Skellefteå, Gällivare or Piteå, must also be given the conditions to provide people with quality of life.
The Minister is likely well aware that Sweden is heading towards a recession, and without political leadership, one of the most important engines of integration risks taking a significant hit that we all lose out on. But the government has no strategy for the tourism industry. They are cutting the appropriations in the environmental budget and to Visit Sweden, and seem to believe that the tourism industry fares best on its own. That is not the case.
We Social Democrats know that an active business policy is good for Sweden. Close dialogues between the business sector and politics create the conditions for Sweden to grow as a tourist destination and for jobs to be created. It is a political direction, Ebba Busch! I note that it is not this government's political direction. What is the government's political direction when it comes to the Swedish tourism industry? Is it that the companies should just manage on their own?
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I have met very few entrepreneurs within the tourism industry who say that they became entrepreneurs to become subsidy recipients, or that they have fantastically good ideas but need help from me and want to be pampered. I find it fascinating that the level that the Social Democrats were satisfied with before the pandemic is now considered completely worthless. I do not agree.
It is clear that one may want to maintain the additional reinforcement that was made specifically during the pandemic if one does not have many other proposals. But I mean that the coalition parties that now govern Sweden have a better agenda. I think I was very concrete and clear about much of what is underway regarding simplification of rules and reduced administrative burden, but let me build on that agenda by, for example, highlighting what is happening with Verksamt.se. It is a site and a service that is highly appreciated by many entrepreneurs. The Government has reinforced both Verksamt.se and Regelrådet. We also intend to introduce an implementation council, which we know is requested by many companies, Mr. Speaker, in order to reduce the regulatory burden for companies. This issue is currently being prepared within the Government Offices.
Both small and large matters need to be handled collectively. A concrete issue that facilitates the tourism industry is the dance permit, which is now being abolished. It has been on the previous government's desk for a long time, but as of July 1, the dance permit is abolished. This means, among other things, that restaurants and nightclubs no longer need to go to the Swedish Police Authority and obtain an approval to organize a dance event if it is not held in a public place. By removing the requirement for a dance permit, we reduce bureaucracy and costs for companies, and the police can focus on more important matters.
Then perhaps some might say: The state of readiness - in all seriousness? Is that what the Minister is bringing up here? Yes, it is a concrete example of the kinds of regulatory changes we intend to make for the entire tourism industry. It is not a single measure that will solve this, but if we reduce the total administrative burden so that it is tangible and noticeable, it will have a major effect for the tourism industry in Sweden. It will also have a major effect on whether one will dare to start a company within the industry or not.
Today is the day before International Women's Day, and the change is also important in order to pave the way for even more women to take the step to start companies generally, but also specifically within this industry.
I also want to briefly comment on the fact that things have moved over the past few weeks since my written interpellation response was submitted.
Last week, the Competition Council in Brussels held a meeting. There, a general direction regarding short-term rentals was adopted. It is something that has truly boomed and hit hard within the entire European Union and also in Sweden. Furthermore, it seems to be increasing moving forward. The new regulation concerns obligations for online platforms that facilitate short-term accommodations to share data with authorities, and it applies to both the one who rents out and the one who rents. We will now look at the issue and see how we in Sweden shall relate to it. But we succeeded in any case in reaching the goal at record speed with the issue at the EU level.
We also intend to maintain as high a pace as possible at the Government Offices regarding regulatory simplifications for companies within the tourism industry.
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! If one comes from Japan or the USA, it is perhaps not the dancing situation that makes one travel to Sweden. It is probably Sweden's nature, culture, and history that attracts. Admittedly, dancing can be an important part of the culture that is now being enabled. We think it was reasonable that this was removed, and we have also questioned why it should have been so difficult. We therefore welcome the adjustment.
Mr. Speaker! Let me return to what I was discussing earlier. Sweden is the worst in the Nordic countries. We should have a higher goal. Of the overnight stays in 2019, that is before the pandemic, 25 percent of the guest nights in Sweden were non-Nordic. In Finland, the figure was 28 percent. In Denmark, it was 36 percent. In Norway, it was 30 percent.
My simple and concrete question is therefore: Will the government present a forward-looking goal? How many should come to Sweden to visit the country? How much shall we have the tourism industry increase during the coming years? Here, the government has the opportunity to show initiative and say that the tourism industry is such an important integration engine and such an important entry point for young people into the labor market that we must have more non-Nordic visitors come to Sweden and that more guest nights shall be generated in Sweden. The government has every opportunity to present a sharp goal. I thank you for the debate.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I feel nevertheless that we have talked a bit too little about electricity support for a while and want to comment on it briefly on my own initiative. The previous government had exactly zero in electricity support for companies. I think the setup with electricity support is square, jagged, and difficult to implement, and it is truly something that has been made from a crisis intervention ordinance at the EU level and which is intended to enable something that is usually not even legal. It is a bandage on the wounds and a relief in a difficult time, but we have at least one electricity support for companies. The previous government did not have that, Mr. Speaker.
Applications for the support for the electricity-intensive companies can be submitted starting in March. We will have the entire system for the general support in place at the end of May, and it is granted based on how severely one has been affected historically and aims to provide relief during this difficult time. However, there is no quick fix. We must expand our power production, and that also affects the tourism industry.
I also want to say that it becomes a bit strange when From speaks about a double blow but himself does not include any reduction of the employer contribution.
The Swedish tourism industry is something to be very proud of. Isak From and I are in complete agreement on that. The Swedish tourism industry is heading towards a bright future. Swedes largely want to tour in their own country, which also affects statistics for hotel nights and other things. The Swedish tourism industry is leading in the green transition and in integration measures. We shall continue to pave the way for it through regulatory simplifications and reduced burden.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.