West Sweden Tourist board day

One of the highlights of the year for those working in the tourism industry in Western Sweden is definitely “Turistrådsdagen”, always expertly organized by Turistrådet Västsverige!

It’s great to meet colleagues from all over Western Sweden, network, and get inspired by each other. There’s so much expertise gathered under one roof!

In addition, you can count on listening to inspiring speakers and top-quality entertainment! This year, Svante Axelsson, National Coordinator for a Fossil-Free Sweden, was there to give a talk about how a different world is possible—and within reach! Did you know, for example, that in Sweden we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 35% since 1990?

We also had the pleasure of hearing from Lina Skandevall, a travel journalist and trend watcher (or “reluctant influencer,” as she called herself), who shared trend insights and inspired us with ideas on how to get even more people to discover the beautiful world and nature right on our doorstep. For example, she pointed out that as much as 80% (!) of the world’s population are not able to see the stars at night, due to light pollution?

The final speaker of the day was Parisa Amiri, journalist and presenter, who encouraged us to challenge our “lazy brain” in order to find new ways forward and dare to try new things! She also emphasized the importance of creating environments where making mistakes is allowed. After all, are you aware that many of the biggest breakthroughs in research, such as penicillin, actually came from mistakes?

It was also fantastic to see a couple of sneak peeks from Göteborgs Operan’s production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. What stars!!

All in all, it was an eventful, fun, and rewarding day, and on the way home, we enjoyed a breathtaking sunset over Gothenburg and the archipelago!