Climate Smart Holidays: West Sweden Launch New Concept to Travel with A Clear Conscience
West Sweden, whose city of Gothenburg has been named the world’s most sustainable destination six consecutive times as well as the ‘World’s Best Sustainable City Stay’ by Lonely Planet in 2021, is now introducing "Climate-Smart Holidays," a concept to offer sustainable vacation experiences with minimal CO2 emissions.
On June 19, West Sweden’s Tourist Board launches its new initiative "Climate-Smart Holidays." Together with five hospitality companies, West Sweden wants to show that it is possible to travel sustainably and have an activity-filled and enriching vacation:
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 include 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 transportation.
The carbon dioxide emissions of each guest have been calculated using the climate calculator on travelandclimate.org. All five participating properties' emissions per guest night are between 0.4 and 3 lbs. of carbon dioxide equivalents – compared to 15 lbs. 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 used.
Travelers can benefit both themselves and the environment by occasionally utilizing their own resources during their vacation. Combined with eco-friendly stays, 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 Right of Public Access (Allemansrätt´), visitors can enjoy the activities while in close harmony with nature, creating lasting memories.
The five packages are:
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Swedish Country Living 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 awarded “Sweden’s most sustainable experience” in 2022. |
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Erikson Cottage
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Inforest At Inforest, stay in small houses in the forest where only peace, quiet and privacy are your neighbors. Package: |
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Ecohotel Lugnåsberget |
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Dalslands Aktiviteter
At Dalslands Aktiviteter you live in architect-designed glass houses in the middle of Dalsland's nature. On site, you can, among other things go fishing, pet moose and cook outdoors. |
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Other general tips for a climate-friendly holiday:
- It is preferable to use public transport locally, rather than taxi or Uber for instance.
- Consider traveling in the off-season. By avoiding peak season, congestion and environmental impact can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to benefit from lower prices and experience the destination in a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere.
- Avoid single-use plastic and bring reusable water bottles, cloth bags, and food containers. Don't forget your water bottle! In Sweden, you can drink tap water everywhere without any hesitation.
- Support the local economy by choosing sustainable accommodation, eat at local restaurants, buy local products and souvenirs such as the work of local artists and typical local handicrafts.
- Choose environmentally friendly activities during your holiday, such as hiking, biking, kayaking, forest bathing or bird watching. Avoid activities that pollute the natural environment, such as jet skiing or off-road driving.
- And finally: encourage your fellow travelers to make climate-friendly decisions too.
For more information on the initiative, see: westsweden.com/climate-smart-holidays
For more reasons to travel, see sustainable experiences in and outside Gothenburg.
Make a Sustainable Choice Through All Parts of the Journey
Reduce the Carbon Dioxide Emissions for Your Flight
Passengers can reduce the carbon footprint of the flight and at the same time contribute to the transition to net zero aviation by purchasing biofuel for the entire journey or part of it, directly from the airline or through Swedavia partner Fly Green Fund. Regardless the amount, it will be an important contribution to help tackle climate change since the renewable fuel used will replace the equivalent amount of fossil fuel.
By purchasing renewable jet fuel for the flight, passengers can reduce the impact of the flight on the climate by up to 80 per cent. This also drives demand for bio jet fuel, which supports large-scale climate change adaptation.
Leading Sustainable Airports
Göteborg Landvetter and Stockholm Arlanda are among the world’s most sustainable airports. As the first airport group in the world, since 2020, Swedish airport operator Swedavia, has been fossil-free in their own operations at all ten airports. See here for more information about Swedavia’s sustainability work and the initiatives from the industry towards fossil-free aviation.
Travel By Train Within Europe
Since September 1, 2022, SJ has been using night trains to and from Hamburg and Stockholm with the extension of the route to Berlin in the summer months available from March 31st, 2023. From May 25th, the European Sleeper, a new sleeper route between Brussels and Berlin opened as well. Meaning it is now possible to take two sleeper trains to Sweden. Hop on at London St Pancras to Brussels before jumping on the European Sleeper to Berlin and then change to the SJ night service to Stockholm. Veering off for Gothenburg and West Sweden is possible in Malmö.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), trains are on average 12 times more energy efficient than air travel per passenger, and according to two transport and environment studies published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) rail travel is the best and most sensible mode of travel, apart from walking or cycling. 2023 has seen the sustainable and mindful travel trend at the forefront of travelers’ decision-making, and holidaymakers to Sweden enjoy this slower and environmentally friendly choice of travel.