Climate Smart Holidays: West Sweden Launch New Concept to Travel with A Clear Conscience

Gothenburg, West Sweden, six times awarded the world’s most sustainable destination and in 2021 named the world’s Best Sustainable City Stay. Now West Sweden Tourist Board is introducing "Climate-Smart Holidays", a concept to offer sustainable and experience-rich holidays with minimal CO2 emissions.

Six consecutive times, Gothenburg was ranked the world’s most sustainable destination according to the Global Destination Sustainability Index. In 2021, Lonely Planet named Sweden’s second city the world’s Best sustainable city stay. The city and West Sweden region continue to invest in developing the destination in a sustainable manner. On June 19, West Sweden Tourist Board launches its new initiative "Climate-Smart Holidays" to offer sustainable and experience-rich holidays with minimal CO2 emissions. Together with five hospitality companies across west Sweden, the Tourist Board wants to show that it is possible to travel locally, live comfortably and at the same time be climate smart.

• With our new concept "Climate-smart holiday", we want to show that it is possible to travel locally, live luxuriously and at the same time be climate-smart. We want to offer a sustainable and memorable holiday, full of experiences that visitors can enjoy with a clear conscience, says Marie Linde, Vice President of the West Sweden Tourist Board.

The five accommodations in West Sweden participating in the concept are: Erikson Cottage, Lugnåsberget Ekohotell, Swedish Country Living, Inforest  , and Dalslands Aktiviteter. All are small-scale family businesses where everything is sustainable: from accommodation, food and activities to transport.

The carbon dioxide emissions of each guest have been calculated using the climate calculator on www.travelandclimate.org .  All five participating properties' emissions per guest night are between 0.2 and 1.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents – compared to 6.8 kilograms for an average Swedish hotel. It is recommended that visitors arrive by train and will then be picked up at the train station for transfer by electric car for the last leg.

The climate-friendly properties that form a part of the five packages use solar panels and green electricity, recycled building materials and timber from their own forest, use water from their own wells, compost waste, sort and recycle waste and use environmentally friendly cleaning products. furthermore, locally grown organic vegetables and meat from nearby farms are also used.

Visitors can do themselves and the environment a favour by tapping into their own resources occasionally whilst on holiday. Combined with eco-friendly accommodation, Sweden's natural environment makes it an ideal place for outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and kayaking – and with so much open space and Sweden´s famous ´Allemansrätten´ the Right of Public Access, visitors can enjoy the activities while in close harmony with nature, creating lasting memories.

The five packages are:

Swedish Country Living

Photo: Jonas Ingman/westsweden.com (Download)

Surrounded by forest, overlooking the water, and situated on ancient farmland, the architecturally designed hermit cottages of Swedish Country Living provide an extraordinary close-to-nature experience. They were even awarded "Sweden's most sustainable experience" in 2022.

To learn more please visit https://www.vastsverige.com/resa/klimatsmart-semester/swedish-country-living/

Erikson Cottage 

Photo: Jonas Ingman/westsweden.com (Download)

Spend the night in a secluded glass cabin in the forest. Erikson Cottage has its own farm bakery as well as access to hiking trails and canoeing.

To learn more please visit: https://www.vastsverige.com/resa/klimatsmart-semester/erikson-cottage/

Inforest

Photo: Linus Bergman/westsweden.com (Download)

At Inforest, stay in small houses in the forest where only peace, quiet and privacy are the only neighbours.

To learn more please visit https://www.vastsverige.com/resa/klimatsmart-semester/inforest/

Ecohotel Lugnåsberget

Photo: André Nordblom/westweden.com (Download)

At the family-run eco-hotel Lugnåsberget, hike to historical sites, go canoeing or simply relax in front of the fireplace. There are chickens on the farm, and in the summer pick berries and pet the sheep grazing in the garden.

To learn more please visit https://www.vastsverige.com/resa/klimatsmart-semester/lugnasberget-ekohotell/

Dalslands Aktiviteter

Photo: Laurence Ogiela/westsweden.com (Download)

At Dalslands Aktiviteter guests live in architect-designed glass houses in the middle of Dalsland's nature. On site, there are the facilities to, among other things, go fishing, pet moose and cook outdoors.

To learn more please visit https://www.vastsverige.com/resa/klimatsmart-semester/dalslands-aktiviteter/
 

For more information on the initiative go to: https://www.vastsverige.com/klimatsmart-semester/

More reasons to travel to West Sweden and Gothenburg can be found online here: https://visitsweden.com/where-to-go/southern-sweden/vastsverige/gothenburg-and-west-sweden/

Ebba Ekelund
PR Manager Sweden and Nordics
ebba.ekelund@visitsweden.com

Visit Sweden har det offisielle oppdraget fra den svenske regjeringen om å markedsføre Sverige som reisemål. Vår visjon er at Sverige innen 2030 er verdens mest bærekraftige og attraktive reisemål bygget på innovasjon. Nå mer enn noen gang, må målrettet reise være meningsfylt, bevisst og skape varig verdi med hensyn til våre gjester, for lokalsamfunnet og planeten vår. Velkommen til Sverige.