RIYADH: The Swedish Embassy aims to attract Saudi tourists to Sweden as part of its campaign to strengthen existing relations between the two countries, said Swedish Ambassador Jan Thesleff.
“Attracting Saudis to visit Sweden is the fifth priority for the embassy as far as our bilateral diplomatic ties are concerned. We have many tourist attractions, some of which are exotic because of their being non-traditional. For sure, Saudis will have a good time and have a one-of-a-kind experience in visiting Sweden,” said Thesleff in a recent interview.
The four other priorities are stepped-up bilateral trade (Sweden’s trade with the Kingdom is up 32 percent), increased political interaction, strengthened educational and research collaboration, and cultural exchange.
The envoy said that the number of tourists to Sweden grew by 300 percent last summer. Of the total number, between 3,000 to 4,000 came from Saudi Arabia.
“There’s a large scope for increasing the number of Saudi tourists to Sweden. In the month of June, the embassy issues about 600 tourist visas. For a small country like ours, the number is big enough,” he said.
One of Sweden’s great attractions is the Ice Hotel, which, as its name implies, is made of ice. The 60 square meter building attracts many visitors, said Thesleff.
