Companies to promote Sweden through new branding concept
Premiere in connection with the royal wedding in June. Today a new branding concept, Brands of Sweden, was presented for promoting the brand identity of Sweden and Swedish companies internationally in conjunction with the royal wedding and the City of Stockholm’s “Love Stockholm 2010” event. The Swedish Institute, in partnership with the City of Stockholm, is behind the effort.
Read more here
Photo: Sten Nordin (City Commissioner of Finance for the City of Stockholm) Ewa Björling (Minister for Trade) and Olle Wästberg (Director-General of the Swedish Institute)
Absolute Art Collection to Stockholm in 2012
Photo: Absolute Art Collection
The 800 pieces of original art in the Absolut Art collection (interpretations of the absolut vodka bottle by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois etcetera) will be one of the main attractions when the Vin- och sprithistoriska (The Historical Museum of Wines and Spirits) will move to the island of Djurgården (close to the Vasamuseum) in 2012.
The new museum will also include the permanent exhibition, a café by the waterfront and a temporary exhibition area. The museum, 2000 square meters, will be situated by the waterfront in the Galärskjulen (harbor sheds), originally built around the year of 1750.
Photo: Per Myrehed
About Vin och Sprithistoriska on Stockholmtown
Experience the history, the culture and the technology behind drinks such as vodka, wine and Swedish punsch. Test your sens of smell with 55 vodka spices in the scent organ. Step into a wine merchant's shop of a century ago. listen to 200 drinking songs - a classic Swedish tradition.
The entrance to the museum on Dalagatan is free of charge with the Stockholm Card
Behind the scenes at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
Airports are really special places. Its where the journey and vacation starts and the logistics around luggage and keeping the airport free of snow impressive. Today my colleagues and I went to Stockholm-Arlanda to see how it works behind the scene.
The 90 meter high tower designed by Wingårdh Architects, the black representing technology and the white representing humanity. The two towers on the top are inspired by the story of Hugin (Thought) and Munin (memory) - the two ravens in nordic mythology who flew around Midgard in search of news and information to return to the god Odin.
Beautiful from the inside. The inscriptions are from a book about pilots (hm I cant remember the author)
Our amazing and enthusiastic guide Yvonne
colleagues Eva and Marcus in their nice outfits
Handling of luggage in theory
Handling of luggage in reality
capacity of 5 000 (i think) luggage per hour 
Transfer luggage
Airbus carts ready to be put directly on the plane
Thank you Johan, Mats, Yvonne and Sven at LFV for a really interesting day!
Lightfestival on Djurgården
This Saturday, February 26th, a new event will literally see the light - its the première of Djurgårdsljus, a lightfestival on the island of Djurgården. 17 places, among them Liljevalchs, Gröna Lund, Skansen (eyes in the night image below), Vasamuseum, Junibacken and Djurgårdsvägen ("the milky way" image above) will be lit with light installations. The event takes place every day February 26th-March 7. Heres a map with all lightinstallations.
Stockholm strengthens its position as the leading visitor destination in Scandinavia
In 2009 there were a total of 9.4 million overnight stays in hotels, hostels, cottages and campgrounds in Stockholm county. This is comparable with 2008, which was a record year. Stockholm was the capital with the most guest nights in the region last year, thus strengthening its position as the leading visitor destination in Scandinavia.
- ”We’ve gained market share from the other Nordic capitals, which makes us proud. Last year Stockholm’s share was 38.2 percent of guest nights when compared with the number of guest nights in Copenhagen, Oslo and Helsinki,” said Peter Lindqvist, CEO of the Stockholm Visitors Board.
Stockholm's success is due to a pronounced increase in leisure travel. The number of business travellers spending the night in Stockholm County declined by 9 percent last year, a development that was expected. During the same period the number of leisure travellers spending the night in the county rose by 10 percent, yielding an equivalent number of guest nights in Stockholm County for the entire year.
“Long-term joint marketing initiatives with our partners and a concentrated effort to bring more flights into Stockholm are some of the reasons the leisure travel segment is increasing," said Guri Höjgaard, Manager of Leisure Travel at the Stockholm Visitors Board.
The domestic market is still Stockholm’s most important market. Swedish visitors are responsible for two out of three overnight stays in hotels, hostels, cottages and campgrounds in Stockholm county. Most of our foreign visitors come from Germany, the UK, the US and Norway. The markets that grew the most in 2009 were Italy, Denmark, Finland and Germany.
Norwegian opens three new routes to Stockholm
Royal guided tours
"Princesses of Stockholm" takes place during Love Stockholm-festival and during the Culturefestival in August starting at Gustav III:s statue, Logårdstrappan. Dates:
June 10 at 18.00
June 17 at 18.00
June 18 at 18.00
August 13 at 18.00
August 14 at 12.00
"The Royal Bernadottes" takes place during Love Stockholm and During the Culture festival starting at the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan. Dates:
June 9 at 18.00
June 16 at at 18.00
June 18 at 15.00
August 13 at 15.00
August 14 at 18.00
Don't miss out on Travel Guides hot spots
Image: Flickr
World Travel Guides have chosen their ten "top destinations 2010". From lush Colombian greenery to the gleaming streets of Stockholm, here's a heads up on the places offering travellers the most over the next 12 months.
"Sweden's stylish capital is leading the eco way over the next 12 months as the European Green Capital. Gleaming Stockholm is a mesh of 14 islands, slick architecture and fresh green spaces; the city's public transport system largely runs on renewable fuels and Stockholm releases a whacking 50% less green house gases than the national average. A network of pretty cycling routes provides visitors with plenty of eco-friendly sightseeing opportunities, and the addition of clean streets and polite (and extortionately good-looking) people make Stockholm a thoroughly pleasant stay. Once an appetite has been worked up by wandering the city's many art galleries, a platter of fresh seafood is never very far away."
Other destinations on the list were:
Colombia
India
South Africa
Nepal
New Zeeland
Mocambique
Dubrovnik
Istanbul
Abu Dhabi
Winter cosy cafees
Stockholm is really beautiful right now with all the snow. I took this picture this morning in Humlegården park on my way to the office. After a snowy winter walk here are DN PåStans list of cosy cafées.
For a walk on Gärdet or the island of Djurgården:
Villa Källhagen Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 10
Flickorna Helin & Voltaire, Rosendalsvägen 14
Gärdetstugan, Värtavägen 52
After a day in the Hammarbybacken Skislope in the city:
Restaurang Göteborg, Midskeppsgatan 31
After a stroll in the Hagapark or Brunnsviken bay:
Haga Forum Annerovägen 4
Walk by the waterline from Old town to Fåfängan:
Kafé Fåfängan, Klockstapelsbacken 3
An ordinary day at the office
Wonder what we do at the pressdepartment at Stockholm Visitors Board? This morning my colleague Johanna couldn't find some of her mediaresults. This resulted in a major project structuring our cuts in a better way. Thanks Johanna!
We help some 650 journalists each year with research and individual programmes. And most of the journalists are kind enough to send us the result of their travel. Reading fantastic articles or see tv-shows is just one of the benefits working with media!
The green green capital of Scandinavia
Stockholm was awarded the first green capital in 2010. Stockholmtown gives visitors a guide on where to shop and where to stay green in Stockholm. More green ideas will follow later on
Two Green articles on Stockholmtown
Ecolabeled living
Organic, locally produced an delicious
Read more about green ideas in the urban nature city Stockholm
Photo: Linus Hallgren/Leijontornet
Vasastan a new design district
The Vasastan district have developed into a design mekka, according to "a perfect guide" - and I do agree. Their top seven design shops are also really interesting, here goes:
- Designgalleriet, Odengatan 21 (design exhibitions in the broader perspective from furniture, graphic design to industrial design).
- OKKO, (Images from OKKO)Birger Jarlsgatan 93 (innovative lamps and fabrics)
- Jascha Loves Designista, Upplandsgatan 45 (A fashion shop and a design shop fell in love and merged together)
- Platina, Odengatan 68 (gallery and shopp for contemporary jewellery design)
- Patouf, Norrbackagatan 36, (fashion influenced by the 60s and 70s design made by Anna Angseryd - rookie of the year 2009)
- Auktionskompaniet, Hälsingegatan 43 (auctions)
- Crystal Palace, Karlbergsvägen 44 (gallery for contemporary art and design)
Wedding exhibitions at Skansen
Spring, being in love and a summer of a Royal Wedding - No wonder that one of the top attractions in Stockholm - the openair museum Skansen will focus on a wedding theme.
March 27-28 - A wedding fair will take place at restaurant Solliden with exhibitors offering ideas for clothes, jewllery, presents, decoration etcetera. An exhibition of wedding clothes from all times will be shown as well.
June 5-20 - In connection with the Love Stockholm event Skansen will feature an event about "proposal games" and wedding gifts. Skansen will also offer a drop in wedding on June 12.
September 4-5 - During two days you can take part in a traditional farmers wedding. In the preparation, wedding dresses and ceremony. (image above)
Skansenbutiken - The skansen shop is a great place to buy a gift - even wedding gifts.
Skyview première
Operakällaren responsible for royal wedding dinner
Stefano Catenacci and Operakällaren restaurant will be responsible for Crown Princess Victorias wedding dinner at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
Operakällaren is one of the gourmet restaurants in Stockholm, with one star in Guide Michelin.
The Official wedding series and the Royal visual profile have also been launched lately. Keep updated in Stockholm Visitors Boards Pressroom.
