3. Best practices
The chapter presents two “best practice” examples of efforts aimed at recovering and strengthening the Swedish tourism industry, including the promotion of domestic tourism, namely the marketing campaign Svemester (case 1) and the development support programme Kurbits Omställning (case 2).
3.1 Case 1: Svemester
As mentioned in the previous section of this chapter, Visit Sweden is the official marketing company of Sweden. Its mission is to market all of Sweden as a tourist destination and increase Sweden’s attractiveness as a visitor destination. On 1 January 2021, the company received an expanded mission from the Swedish government to market Sweden as a visitor destination, not only to foreign target groups, but also to domestic target groups. The mission was a direct response to the tourism industry’s impending crisis due to COVID-19.
In response to the mission, Visit Sweden identified the following three areas of intervention:
Increased visibility. Sharp and well-targeted communication creates visibility for sustainable tourism offers and strengthens the domestic desire for Sweden.
Increased innovation. Digital innovation that drives actual behaviour. Smart digital solutions can reach the target group efficiently and at the place where they are.
Increased knowledge. Deeper insights and analysis. Knowledge is made available and applicable to hospitality entrepreneurs.
The result was a campaign using material generated from foreign tourists in Sweden who got stuck in the country when the borders closed. The material showcases their experiences of Sweden through a foreign lens under the brand: "The involuntary tourists’ guide to Sweden". The idea for the campaign comes from the people who got stuck in Sweden when the borders closed in early 2020. The basic idea of the campaign is to let outsiders tell us what they like about Sweden in order to inspire Swedes to discover new parts of the country and especially create a desire to travel within the country. The campaign consists of different media formats: digital films available on social media platforms, editorial material in podcasts, and a web application where tips from the involuntary tourists are collected. On the same platform, the company launched a digital experience guide with a total of over 600 additional travel tips developed in collaboration with regional tourism organisations, destinations, and hospitality businesses.
3.1.1 Activities
The mission was carried out through the following activities:
A pre-study investigating Swedes as a target group. Their preferences, habits, and likings.
A webinar series on knowledge, information, inspiration, and dialogue regarding Swedes as a tourism target group. Stakeholders, such as regions and destination organisations, could participate.
The marketing campaign, “The involuntary tourists’ guide to Sweden”, as mentioned above. In addition, an “experience guide” was launched with the intention of "teaching" Swedes about how to discover their local area. It encourages Swedes to consume in their local area in a way they haven't done before, which helps build the economy.
The mission is first and foremost a marketing campaign. It is also a knowledge-gathering and knowledge-sharing activity, establishing information on Swedes as a target group, which is then sharing with other sector stakeholders. The mission had two target groups: the potential domestic tourists (Swedes) and stakeholders in the sector, such as regions and DMOs. The webinar aimed at the stakeholders, where the domestic tourist constitutes the beneficiaries. The marketing campaign was specifically aimed at the Swedes, with the stakeholders and tourism-linked businesses as beneficiaries. The pre-study was necessary for Visit Sweden’s campaign, but it also benefits businesses in the industry trying to market themselves to Swedes. The marketing campaign can be understood as both a short-term and long-term exercise: the marketing campaign is time-limited and can have a short-term effect on Swedes deciding to travel domestically; the long-term effect is if there is a change in attitude amongst Swedes towards domestic travels. This is not only true for how Visit Sweden conducted their campaign since other stakeholders can use the knowledge base to market their region or business with the same possible effects.
As the webinar series continued to run throughout 2022, they have been important in establishing a knowledge base to build the marketing campaigns on. The marketing campaign ran through 2021, and it was followed up in 2022 with a new campaign that shared the same aim of getting Swedes to look at Sweden in a new way. The campaign was called Cover Sweden and focused on music. It included a digital “tour” of Sweden based on album covers. Similar to the goal of the 2021 campaign, Cover Sweden aimed to get Swedes to look at Sweden in a new way. According to a respondent, it created a sense of "pride" for being in Sweden and experiencing Sweden.
3.1.2 Organisation and stakeholders
Visit Sweden coordinated and implemented the mission with the Swedish government as its principal. Visit Sweden worked together with regions and other actors in the sector. According to the interviewee, cooperation and collaboration with regions and other partners have worked very well. Most actors perceive it as important that a national actor brings together actors in the tourism sector.
3.1.3 Funding
The practice was funded by the Swedish government with an additional SEK 20 million budgeted to Visit Sweden for the expanded mission. According to the interviewee, none of the activities would have been undertaken without the extended mission and extra funds from the government.
3.1.4 Lessons learned
According to the interviewee, the mission was a success considering the short time for preparation they had. The effects of the programme are currently under evaluation, with a report being prepared for publication. Because of this, it is hard to estimate the results of the marketing campaigns and other parts of the mission of domestic tourism activities. In terms of the number of people reached with the marketing campaigns, benchmark targets were achieved. Based on this, a representative from the organisation working with the campaign believes that they have gotten their message out there. Furthermore, the campaign won the Swedish National Marketing Competition.
The most valuable and important lesson is that in order to create long-time effects and values, there is a need to continue this mission over a long time period. Another important lesson is to keep doing so-called “temperature measurements” of how tourists move to avoid the over-crowding of tourists in certain areas and at certain destinations.
As mentioned above, Visit Sweden launched an additional campaign in 2020. However, the formal expanded mission is yet to be extended, and the continuation of these activities is contingent upon the said mission. In the future, in order to retain and further develop Swedish domestic tourism, the interviewee believes that continued investments are necessary. If this will be the case, it is yet to be decided by the Swedish parliament. Furthermore, the interviewee states that marketing and developing domestic tourism should go together with destination development for those who live permanently in the areas where domestic tourists tend to travel or in the areas close to tourism destinations. A final important lesson from the case is that activities should take ”tourism crowding” into consideration when planning activities, and that there is a need to find ways for tourists to be spread out over larger geographical areas.
3.2 Case 2: Kurbits Omställning
The COVID-19 pandemic has had major consequences for the tourism industry in Swedish regions. With the loss of foreign tourists, there was a need to rethink their approach, shifting their focus towards domestic tourists. As a response to this, Region Dalarna turned to Kurbits, who developed a specific programme called Kurbits Omställning. The programme was developed with the specific aim of helping tourism-related businesses adapt to the domestic market. The programme was set up as an entirely online-based programme, using the same pedagogical approach typically used in other support programmes. Established in 2020, it is to be understood as “Business development in instant format”. The main difference between Kurbits Omställning and other Kurbits programmes is the digital format and compressed timeframe. The overall focus also differentiates from other programmes, even though various features and tools that are used are the same; these are translated to focus specifically on refocusing your business towards domestic tourists. In formatting the programme, a survey was conducted with tourism-related businesses in Region Kalmar, ensuring the programme would address and alleviate the right needs in relation to the pandemic and domestic tourism.
The programme started as an initiative from one region, but has since spread across the nation to Västerbotten, Sörmland, and Uppland, to name a few. Stockholm also participated, and according to the interviews, this was the first time the region ever paid for assistance with tourism and hospitality. Switzerland also expressed interest in the programme. However, the translation took too long and the restrictions were lifted.
3.2.1 Activities
The programme includes the development of products and concepts, smart communication, and the development of an action plan. During the implementation of the programme, good examples of companies that have transformed and/or adapted their business are used. Each programme is conducted by a Kurbits process manager and business coach with extensive experience in the tourism and/or cultural and creative industries. The programme takes 2-4 weeks in total for participating companies, and consists of four three-hour online workshops, as well as homework between the workshops. It provides a toolkit for participating companies and offers one session of individual coaching. Furthermore, the programme comes with an online tool where participants can disseminate information to domestic tourists about available deals. The marketing can also be used by, e.g., the County, as was done by Kalmar County.
Another important element of the programme was to help the participants to refocus and target the domestic market, instead of focusing on the international market. According to the interviews, many of the participants had previously focused heavily on the international market. The redirection from international to national markets, and understanding new and different target groups, became easier for the participants when they were able to discuss with each other, and when they were trying to develop different “package experiences” aimed at domestic tourists.
The programme is to be understood as a method of conversion support, but in this, there are multiple constituents as the programme aids with product development, marketing, and collaboration. The target groups were tourism-related businesses (foremost SMEs), and the beneficiaries were domestic tourists. The programme is a short-term intervention, supporting tourism-related businesses in transitioning towards the domestic tourism market. From a long-term perspective, it has strengthened the knowledge and adaptability of SMEs and business support actors, providing better preparedness for future crises.
The programme is still ongoing, and the idea is to bring parts of the programme into other programmes run by Kurbits. As it is highly adjustable, the interviewee believes it can be useful in other crises as well.
3.2.2 Organisation and stakeholders
Kurbits is the result of a collaboration between Region Dalarna, meNY, Dalarna University, and experienced business developers with roots in the tourism industry. The programme started as a project in Dalarna in 2008, and it was run as a regional structural fund project by Region Dalarna between 2009 and 2011. Since 2009, the working group has consisted of a mix of business developers with roots in the industry and representatives of Dalarna University. The development of each programme is preceded by a collaboration with colleges/universities, and the public and private sectors, which are actively involved in the development of content and materials. According to the interviewee, Dalarna University’s role is to ensure the quality of the programme. Also, meNY is a consortium developing adult education (the adult-pedagogic used), The Centre for Visitor Industry Research has a role as an expert, and as mentioned above, Visit Dalarna owns the toolbox.
3.2.3 Funding
The Kurbits Omställning programme can be procured from the Kurbits organisation by regions, private companies, and DMOs, among other procurers. The programme is, to some extent, adaptable to the preferences of the procurer, e.g., when determining the fees for participants. In 2020, all regions using the programme decided not to charge participating companies.
3.2.4 Lessons learned
Based on the feedback, Kurbits Omställning has provided tourism companies with the capacity to retool; that it has made them feel “less alone” in the hard times during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that knowledge-sharing through the programme has been greatly appreciated. Another reported benefit of the programme has been the opportunity to meet with other tourism companies. In some instances, this has resulted in joint package deals developed in cooperation amongst the participants with a focus on domestic target groups. One lesson learned here is that discussions and cooperation between tourism-related businesses can be valuable for identifying new target groups and redirecting the businesses.
After conducting over ten programmes of Kurbits Omställning, the participating companies testified that there have been concrete changes, with new concepts and products adapted towards a more local and national market, new collaborations amongst the participants, and new ways to change everything from pricing to marketing communication. A common theme throughout the programmes, according to the interview, has been nature experiences as a new service and means of transforming the tourism offer. Not only does it target the segment “active nature lover,” but it also aims at domestic tourists in general, as the importance of nature has increased for Swedes during the pandemic.
With regards to the lessons learned, the COVID-19 pandemic proved that it was possible to speed up the programme process from six weeks to three weeks to help companies more quickly than usual. The fact that the programme is still used, and that it has gathered attention both nationally and internationally, should, according to the interviewee, be seen as indications of its success.
References
Regulation (2009:145) with instruction for the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.