How to Export Tourism

The UN definition of tour­ism is: “ The activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business or other purposes.” This definition includes all activities and consumption connected to travel and business travel and it is the consumer, and not the good or service, that determines the categorization. Tourism is often measured in total turnover earned within a region and tourism export value as foreign visitor’s consumption in that region. Here are a few examples to help you sort out the terms. In the air line industry, 88 percent of activities account for tourism, the other 12 percent pertains to activities such as cargo handling and other technical services. Furthermore within the hotel & restaurant business, only about half of the activities can be accounted as tourism, since the remaining half is consumption by local consumer, and cannot be considered tourism. Tourism – A Giver Tourism is seen as a particularly trade-creating and wealth-building industry, since it helps link people from different places and cultures. Furthermore, if sustainable, tourism has positive effects on natural, cultural and living environments as it encourages maintenance among other things. It is an industry that provides income for a wide range of businesses and creates many high- as well as low-level local jobs especially for young and international workers. Finally, the industry is a progressive force in infrastructure development and tax revenue. Tourism – A Team Effort A tourism provider is extremely connected to the brand of the region, country and city. Marketing activities and competitiveness is hence hugely dependent on interaction and collaboration between companies operating in the same region, and under the same regional brand, and the region itself. Tourism providers depend on everything from infrastructure, natural environment, cultural environment, to local venues and the work force. The building of landmarks such as national parks, historic monuments, etc., maintained by the public sector, is also a sign of the growth potential in a region. Swedish Tourism – Huge Potential The total turnover for the tourism industry in Sweden was SEK 255 billion in 2010. Out of that 50% was domestic leisure travels, 17% domestic business travel, and the remaining 33% are foreign visitors, making the Swedish tourism export value SEK 87 billion. This 1.7% growth exceeded both the iron, steel and car export growth that year. This industry growth contributed to 31,300 new jobs in Sweden, and a total of 162,000 jobs, employing 4% of the Swedish working force, and with the potential to grow considerably more. The official Swedish tourism policy states: “Sweden shall be a highly attractive tourist destination with competitive long-term tourism, contributing to sustainable growth and increased employment throughout the country.” Swedish tourism is increasingly recognized as a force of globalization, trade and culture development, and both public and private players are showing more interest in getting in­volved in this area. The unique nature of the industry has historically contributed to a chattered definition, and consequently, a lot more can be done to collect statistics and knowledge within the area. Many public R & D programs and other initiatives mainly target traditional manufacturing industries, and hence there is room for considerable knowledge assimilation. Considering that present tourism export only accounts for 33% of the total industry turnover, the potential to develop the industry, and to ride on the catching-up wave, obviously is in attracting foreign visitors. This number can be compared to the average Swedish export ratio across industries, which presently is 50% of Swedish GDP. Also considering the relatively small Swedish population, it is evident that tourism providers have to look abroad to attract customers. As Sweden turns its attention to the foreign market we face a whole new set of challenges, i.e. the development of sustainable tourism: eco-friendly travel, international cooperation and regulations. We support both you tourists and tourism exporters! The Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce in the USA (SACC-USA) works with the Swedish Institute and Tillväxtverket, to strengthen the Swedish brand, and to drive both American and Swedish tourism export. One of our most appreciated member services, the trade mission, allows members to visit future partners to discover opportunities and to build their network, through meetings and seminars set up by SACC. All 19 chambers in our network work to promote tourism, both leisure and business, through working to support industries from the extended cruise ship industry in SACC Florida, to the wine travel industry in SACC Arizona, and our nationwide SACC-USA visibility program with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). http://www.tillvaxtverket.se/ovrigt/englishpages/tourismindustryissuesandstatistics.4.21099e4211fdba8c87b800017620.html