Visit Sweden Launches National API to Boost Tourism
Visit Sweden has launched a national Application Programming Interface (API), becoming one of the first countries in the world to consolidate its tourism offerings in this way. This initiative aims to enhance innovation and secure the digital visibility of Sweden’s tourism and hospitality industry for the future.
“By uniting the tourism sector under a common digital standard, Visit Sweden is strengthening Sweden’s international appeal and making it easier for travelers worldwide to discover our unique destinations,” says Sara Modig, State Secretary to Minister for Energy and Industry, Ebba Busch.
A Resource for Innovation
The national API for the tourism industry is designed to be a resource for innovation, fostering the development of digital services such as AI-powered travel apps, sustainability metrics, and smart recommendation systems. The data can also be combined with other sources, like weather or local traffic data, to provide richer, more personalized experiences based on real-time conditions.
Nils Persson, Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Sweden, emphasizes the importance of this move: “We are thrilled to future-proof the global visibility of the Swedish tourism industry and enable exciting innovations. As one of the first countries to consolidate nationwide data according to the global schema.org standard, we are increasing Sweden’s competitiveness as a tourist destination.”
Open and Accessible Data
The API developed by Visit Sweden collects and structures data according to a global standard, ensuring it is open, flexible, and accessible. All data is freely available without licensing costs, allowing anyone to use it.
This initiative aligns with the government’s data strategy and underscores Sweden’s ambition to be a leader in digitalization. It exemplifies how open data and digital infrastructure can drive growth, innovation, create new jobs, and strengthen competitiveness across the country.
Benefits for the Tourism Industry
By consolidating data from the tourism industry across Sweden, the API creates a valuable dataset for AI, search engines, booking services, platforms, programs, apps, and developers. This allows them to easily find, retrieve, and use information about Swedish destinations, accommodations, events, and experiences.
“The strength lies in creating a large and credible dataset for new digital functions through rich content from small businesses to large chains across the country, and in the fact that we have done this together with regions, destinations, and the tourism industry,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden.
Collaboration and Support
To ensure a sustainable structure and help businesses gain visibility, Visit Sweden has collaborated with Swedish regions, companies, municipalities, industry organizations, and tourism organizations. This collaborative effort has been facilitated by a shared understanding of the need for visibility and engagement.
“It is very gratifying that the Swedish tourism industry, through Visit Sweden, is united in a dedicated API that ensures efficient digital visibility now and in the future,” says Jonas Siljhammar, CEO of Visita.
Empowering Information Providers
The API allows information providers to own and update their data in one place, automatically distributing it across multiple channels and platforms, including their own. This creates a strong, direct, and digital relationship with customers and travelers, ensuring they always receive accurate and up-to-date information in all digital services.
Initial Data and Participating Organizations
The system already contains approximately 14,000 information posts from all regions of Sweden, with more being added.
Some of the major players already contributing or planning to add data include Scandic Hotels, Best Western Hotels & Resort, Strawberry, Svenska Turistföreningen, Göta Kanal, SCR – Svensk Camping, Parks & Resorts, First Camp, and Svenska Möten.
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