Welcome to season two of the Sweden Sessions podcast.

In this first episode we're exploring city breaks in Gothenburg, now the world's most sustainable destination for six years on a row! Along with Petra Gamerdinger of Göteborg & Co and Emilie Lundberg Boon of Universeum, one of Gothenburg's top experiences, we'll journey through Universeum and show you how it slots perfectly into any break to the city, no matter what time of year it is. We'll also explore what's next for Gothenburg with all of the new hotel and experience openings taking place over the next 12 months.

Listen along with us!

More information on Universeum

Website: https://universeum.se  

For any booking questions:

bokning@universeum.se 

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/universeum-ab/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/universeum/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/Universeum

Tiktok: https://tiktok.com/@universeumse

More information on Göteborg & Co

Website: https://goteborg.com/en

For any questions: info@goteborg.com

Linkedin: https:/linkedin.com/company/goteborgco

Insagram: https://instagram.com/goteborgcom

Facebook: https://facebook.com/goteborgcom

More information on Visit Sweden

Website: https://traveltrade.visitsweden.com

Insagram: https://instagram.com/visitsweden

Facebook: https://facebook.com/VisitSweden

Image credit:  Sofia Sabel/imagebank.sweden.se

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this edition, Gabriel meets with Fredrik Lindén and Marie Linde, CEO and Deputy CEO of West Sweden Tourism to talk about their ethos of Stepping Up Sustainability. Stepping Up Sustainability is based upon four pillars of working toward a greener, more cohesive, locally focused, wholistic approach to a sustainable tourism industry. Fredrik and Marie offer insights on how the company's sustainable way of life came about, its successes, challenges and what's next for Stepping Up Sustainability.

Gabriel then chats to three tourism businesses, Gunnebo House and Gardens, a heritage experience based just outside Gothenburg, which recently won a West Sweden award for its sustainable working practices; Swedish Country Living, a unique place to stay in Dalsland, the northern part of the region, which won a 360 degree Eat Guide Award for its sustainability work; and Pathfinders a local tour company providing sustainable trips around West Sweden.

Take a listen and let us know what you think!

West Sweden, Stepping up Sustainability - https://hallbarhetsklivet.se/en/

West Sweden main site - https://www.vastsverige.com/en/

Gunnebo House and Gardens - https://gunneboslott.se/en/

Swedish Country Living - https://www.swedishcountryliving.com

Pathfinders - https://pathfindertravels.eu/trip/the-gota-leden-trail-west-sweden/

Visit Sweden consumer site - https://visitsweden.com

Visit Sweden for travel professionals - https://traveltrade.visitsweden.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A whiff of gingerbread and mulled wine in the air. Snow softly falling, if you're lucky. Friends, family and colleagues gathering at Christmas markets, for Lucia processions and around Jul Bords,... it must be Christmas in Sweden.

Like most traditions in Sweden, Christmas combines great company with great food and the wondrous outdoors but there are subtle regional differences. From a travel professional's point of view there are many things to consider such as locations of Christmas markets, how many family attractions, where Santa may reside, are in the vicinity and of course unique places to eat, drink, be merry and sleep. Well, let this podcast be your guide!

In this episode, Gabriel chats to Petra Gamerdinger of Göteborg & Co about the holiday season in the self proclaimed 'Christmas City' of Gothenburg. He then moves east to Stockholm and the island of Royal Djurgården, home to ABBA The Museum, The Vasa Museum, Spritmuseum of drinks, Rosendahl's Garden and Skansen, where a traditional Swedish Christmas can be observed every day throughout December. We finish our sleigh ride through Sweden in Dalarna to talk about midwinter breaks, skiing and the man himself...

For more information on the destinations covered, visit:

Göteborg & Co

https://www.goteborg.com/en/guides/christmas-in-gothenburg/

Royal Djurgården

https://royaldjurgarden.se/en/

https://sustainable.royaldjurgarden.se/en/home-en/

https://professionals.visitstockholm.com

Visit Dalarna

https://www.visitdalarna.se/en

Tomteland, Mora:

https://www.tomteland.se/?lang=en

For for more general information visit https://traveltrade.visitsweden.com

images: https://imagebank.sweden.se

Music (C) Epidemic Sounds

All for Christmas - The Noel

Christmas Snowman - Speedy the Spider

Santa's Sleigh Ride - Returning Visitors

Nordic Shine - Savvun

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swedish music rocks – literally – around the world. ABBA, the Cardigans, Ace of Base and Roxette continue to dominate the music scene the world over, whilst some of the Globe's biggest performers from Britney Spears to the Backstreet Boys and many more have had hits written and produced by Swedish superstar producers such as Dennis Pop and Max Martin.

Swedish musical acts like Avicii, Zara Larsson, the Knife and many others who have become household names the world over in recent years continue to prove are proving that Sweden is by no means a one hit wonder.

This brings us to Pophouse Entertainment, one of if not the biggest player in Swedish entertainment experiences. From The ABBA Museum which attracts over 330,000 visitors annually to the brand new Avicii Experience, Pophouse Entertainment keeps innovating and firmly keeps Stockholm and Sweden centre stage on the world music tourism map. But it's not all about attractions, Pophouse Entertainment runs two Stockholm hotels, a concert venue (soon to be two), restaurants and much more, not to mention being a major part of ABBA Voyage in London. In this episode Gabriel discovers the secret to Pophouse Entertainment's success as he explores the many experiences and places to stay your clients can enjoy when they visit Sweden, guided by Pophouse Entertainment CEO Per Sundin.

For more information visit:

Pophouse Entertainment's website: https://pophouse.se

The ABBA Museum: https://abbathemuseum.com/sv/

Pophouse Hotel: https://pophousedjurgarden.se/en/

Hasselbacken Hotel: https://hasselbacken.com/sv/

Cirkus concert venue: https://cirkus.se/en/

Fat Cat Brasserie: https://fatcatbrasserie.com/?fbclid=IwAR0p7YKM-LfjPrxKcLyzVGKs_167vqG7q_rxexzlzu22J5QjmxaOo6kCvbQ

Space: https://space.cc

Avicii Experience: https://aviciiexperience.com

ABBA Voyage (London): https://abbavoyage.com

Learn more about Swedish Music Tourism at https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/culture-history-and-art/culture/music/swedish-music-phenomenon/

or for more general information visit https://traveltrade.visitsweden.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Gabriel explores Fika and Cinnamon Bun Day with guests from Gothenburg, West Sweden and the UK including Scandikitchen's Bronte Aurell.

Swedes love Cinnamon buns and since the 1920s, cinnamon buns or kanelbullen have been a popular sight on coffee tables and at fikas across Sweden. It is a documented fact that the average Swede consumes 319 cinnamon buns each year. Cinnamon Bun Day was created in 1999 by The Swedish Home Baking Council as an event to celebrate the organisation’s 40th Anniversary. Swedes happily embraced the new day of celebration and now, over 20 years later, there is a holiday feel all over the country each year on October 4th. Gothenburg and the region of West Sweden is a particularly great place to enjoy a fika or spend cinnamon bun day, not in the least because the region is home to Alingsås, credited as the home of Swedish fika, where a guest can take a fika walking tour and enjoy some of the best baked goods in the whole country. Take a listen and learn more about Sweden's most beloved buns and the tradition of fika.

Useful links and information:

Fika like a Swede with Visit Sweden: https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/food-drink/swedish-kitchen/all-about-swedish-fika/

Visit Sweden's Cinnamon Bun recipe: https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/food-drink/recipes/cinnamon-buns-recipe/

Learn more about the town of Alingsås: https://www.vastsverige.com/en/nexttogothenburg/alingsas/?site=5

Fika in West Sweden with West Sweden Tourism: https://www.vastsverige.com/en/eat-and-drink/swedes-love-a-fika/?site=5

Fika in Gothenburg with Gothenburg & Co: https://www.goteborg.com/en/guides/swedish-fika-in-gothenburg-2/

Learn more about Konditori Kampanilen: https://www.goteborg.com/en/places/konditori-kampanilen

Konditori Kampanilen's instagram account: @konditorikampanilen

ScandiKitchen's website: https://scandikitchen.co.uk

ScandiKitchen's instagram account: @scandikitchen

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Sweden Sessions. A podcast for travel professionals from Visit Sweden. In this episode Gabriel finds out why traveling by rail around Sweden is something special.

Your clients' faces will be glued to the window as they enjoy some of Europe’s most spectacular rail journeys, from the far north of Swedish Lapland down to a trip along the Skåne coast in the south. No matter what class your clients travel in, they'll find natural surroundings their train traverses through are off-the-scale see worthy: how about speeding across the Arctic tundra or under the midnight sun, or stopping to take a nature walk or berry-picking on the famed Inlandsbanan. It's bucketlist stuff!

Here are some links to learn more about the topics covered in the episode:

Inlandsbanan - https://res.inlandsbanan.se/en

Heart of Lapland - https://heartoflapland.com

Luleå Business Region - https://visitlulea.se

Swedish Lapland Visitors Board - https://swedishlapland.com

SJ Swedish Rail - https://sj.se

VY Rail - https://www.vy.no/en

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swedish Lapland is full of unique experiences and home to a coveted and irreplicable way of life. Set against the backdrop of some of the best Northern Lights coverage in the world or the Midnight Sun, your clients will go on arctic adventures they’ll remember forever. This captivating region of Sweden encompasses rolling hills roaring rivers, vast woodlands and rural romances. But first and foremost, it's a land of stories and adventures from the mountains to the sea. Swedish Lapland is the same size as Austria after all, one could spend a whole month here and not manage to see everything. And there is always something new to see, do and explore. When you start to work with Swedish Lapland, you'll very quickly notice a spirit of co-operative working and entrepreneurship, the region never stands still

In this Sweden Sessions episode, Gabriel chats to Cecilia Petzäll, Travel Trade Manager at Swedish Lapland Visitors Board to give you all of the latest news and updates from across the region. From new direct flights between London Heathrow and Luleå to brand new hotels including the Wood Hotel by Elite, one of the world's tallest wooden buildings and brand new initiatives covering the worlds of sustainability, transport and much more.

For more information visit: https://traveltrade.visitsweden.com

Swedish Lapland's corporate site: https://www.swedishlaplandvisitorsboard.com/en/

Swedish Lapland's consumer site: https://www.swedishlapland.com

Swedish Lapland's product portal: https://portal.swedishlapland.com - please email John.bridge@visitsweden.com for a login

Just some of the products and initiatives mentioned in the podcast:

Kiruna

ICE Hotel - https://www.icehotel.com

Heart of Lapland

Kukkolaforsen: https://www.kukkolaforsen.se/en/

Huuva Hideaway: https://www.huuvahideaway.com

Rail Network: https://heartoflapland.com/travel-here/

Boden / Harrads

Tree Hotel: https://www.treehotel.se/en/

Arctic Bath: https://arcticbath.se

Skellefteå

The Wood Hotel by Elite: https://www.elite.se/en/thewoodhotelbyelite/

Piteå

Hotell Kust: http://www.hotellkust.com

Pite Havsbad: https://pitehavsbad.se

Jössgården: https://jossgarden.se

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world’s largest, outdoor, socially distanced bar opened this summer in Swedish nature. In 2019, Sweden launched The Edible Country, the world's largest DIY gourmet restaurant, with recipes developed by Guide Michelin-awarded chefs. The concept, which until now, consisted only of food, is being expanded to include an incredible drinking experience. Drinkable Country features a combination of ready-made beverages that reflect local nature and produce alongside drinks that visitors can mix themselves with ingredients found in the surroundings based on recipes provided by Sweden’s foremost beverage experts.

In Sweden, nature is everyone’s playground. It’s a place to linger – as long as you do not disturb or destroy it – thanks to the unique Allemansrätt – Swedens’s “freedom to roam.” With the Drinkable Country, Sweden invites everyone to experience their close-to-nature lifestyle over world-class food and drink. When you book a Drinkable Country experience, you will have the opportunity to explore the area with local guides while collecting and mixing the ingredients, and then enjoy the various drinks.

The recipes have been developed in collaboration with four different beverage experts, each of whom has been given the responsibility to represent different regions in Sweden. In this podcast, Gabriel and Frida Berglund, Food Travel Project Manager at Visit Sweden are joined by Emil Åreng, a nationally and internationally acclaimed bartender and author of the world's best cocktail book in 2016, represents the northern part of Sweden. Emil was named Sweden's best bartender in 2015 and has also won several international awards. Emil most recently came from Cardier Baren at the historic Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, where he was Creative Director. He is the author of the cocktail book Salongs i Norrland, which was named Best Cocktail Book in the World in 2016. He'll open a brand new bar Facit on 15 November in his hometown of Umeå.

Emil joins Gabriel and Frida to chat about the recipes he created for The Drinkable Country, the flavours that inspire him and trends in Swedish drinks culture.

You'll find the recipes and can learn more about The Drinkable Country including all of the details about the tables and bars here: https://visitsweden.com/drinkable-country/.

Learn more about Sweden's Allemansrätten or freedom to roam principle here: https://visitsweden.com/what-to-do/nature-outdoors/nature/sustainable-and-rural-tourism/freedomtoroam/

Find bookable Edible Country and Drinkable Country experiences here: https://booknordics.com/campaign/theediblecountry

Visit Sweden's travel trade website: https://traveltrade.visitsweden.com

For more information email traveltrade.ediblecountry@visitsweden.com

Image credit: Håkan Stenlund/imagebank.sweden.se

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.