Domestic Tourist Travel in Sweden: A Regional Analysis

ABSTRACT

This paper examines some of the geographical dimensions of domestic tourism in Sweden through a regional analysis of domestic travel patterns using data from the 1994 Travel and Tourism Data Base (TDB). Spatial variations in purpose of trip—visits to friends and relatives and to second homes, leisure travel and business travel—are analysed on an origin-destination basis for 31 regions, primarily through the use of ternary graphs, dominant flow analysis and the derivation of Relative Acceptance Indexes. The Swedish patterns and results generally follow those found in earlier studies which underline the importance of distance, population and the geography of the country concerned but noticeable differences were identified according to trip purpose. Distance, especially as indicated by the prominence of intra-regional flows and the RA Index values, was shown to be important for each trip purpose but moreso with regard to VFR/SH travel than business trips while leisure travel constitutes an intermediate case. Population size was also a critical factor but less important for business trips than for VFR/SH travel and leisure travel. A basic east-west division of the country was found in terms of origins and destinations but important differences occurrred by purpose of trip, particularly where business travel was concerned. Regional biases were also evident in the dominant destination flows for leisure and business travel but to markedly different regions, further demonstrating the need to disaggregate domestic travel.