Hunting and fishing biggest in the north of Sweden

People living nearby Sweden’s boreal mountains visit them more often than people living further away. In 2009, people living in Jämtland County visited the mountains six times on average, whereas people living in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, only visited them slightly more than one time on average. People in Sweden’s other northern counties, visited the mountains about three times in 2009.

To find out if the attitudes towards activities in the mountains differ between persons living in different parts of Sweden, the researchers asked  posed the question: “Which of the following activities do you think will be more common in the mountains during the next ten years?”

Hunting: About one third of the people living in the counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten believe that hunting will be more popular, while only 16 per cent living in Stockholm County are of the same opinion.

Fishing: Almost 50 per cent of people living in Norrbotten and Västerbotten think that fishing will be more popular. In the remaining counties in northern Sweden, about one third thinks the same. In Stockholm County only one fourth sees a similar development.

One possible conclusion from the study is that there are two groups of visitors in the mountains, and that they visit the mountains with different expectations. People from northern Sweden focus more on hunting and fishing, while people from southern Sweden are more interested in other activities. To reach both these groups, the tourist entrepreneurs should focus on local residents with a keen interest in hunting and fishing, but also develop other products and experiences non-residential visitors.

* In the study the researchers asked the question to a representative selection of the Swedish population between the ages of 16–65. The survey was posted to more than 15 000 people. The answering frequency was about 50 per cent.