Oceana, Liseberg’s exciting new water park, opens in Gothenburg
Oceana, the newest addition to the Liseberg theme park, is inspired by Gothenburg’s history and will be unlike anything else in Scandinavia today. Guests will be able to enjoy everything from lovely sandy beaches to thrilling water slides. There are a total of 14 attractions, both indoor and outdoor, including a wave pool, a tranquil story river and all kinds of water activities for every age. Oceana will open in early summer 2024.
Next door to the water park is the newly opened Liseberg Grand Curiosa hotel and of course Liseberg itself, the Nordic region’s biggest theme park, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.
Hyssna Forest Resort, right on the Hyssnaleden Trail
About 56 km south of Gothenburg lies the newly opened Hyssna Forest Resort, with exceptionally close to nature accommodation nestled in the forests near the Hyssnaleden Trail. You’ll find three unique cabins, created by two brothers who also happen to be carpenters.
Each of the three cabins is in a lovely secluded spot, and you can stay among the stars in the Treetop Cabin, teeter on the edge in the Cliffhang Cabin and snuggle up in a mossy green oasis in the Creek Cabins.
Breakfast, made with locally produced ingredients and delivered to the cabins in pretty containers, is included and you can order other meals. The two nearby lakes are perfect for swimming, kayaking and fishing.
Gibson’s Hotel - New hotel near the Gotaleden and Bohusleden Trails
The brand new Gibson’s Hotel has just opened in the heart of Jonsereds Fabriker, just 12 minutes from the centre of Gothenburg, close to both the Gotaleden and the Bohusleden hiking trails. The hotel has 27 rooms.
Jonsereds Fabriker is a historic industrial heritage site dating back to the 1830s. Also on the site is Poppels Bryggeri, a little local brewery which with a large dose of master craftsmanship has succeeded in becoming Sweden’s biggest organic brewery. The Poppels Öl & Mat restaurant is right next door to the brewery, and you’ll also find Brödfabriken i Jonsered on the site, an artisan bakery where everything is made from scratch.
Jonsered Gardens, just around the corner from Jonsereds Fabriker, is a beautifully renovated 19th century garden in the grounds of a former stately home, with a charming cafe.
New Trädgårdshotellet (The Garden Hotel) at Årås Säteri & Trädgårdar will open in May
Årås Säteri & Trädgårdar is a historic house dating back to the 15th century, with a wide choice of accommodation, event spaces and nearby outdoor activities all in beautiful surroundings. The new Trädgårdshotellet (Garden Hotel) with 7 rooms can be booked from the middle of May.
Other accommodation includes the STF hostels Drängstugan and Mejeriet, both charmingly furnished. The Mejeriet is the former dairy, built in the 1930s and Drängstugan a separate wing dating from the 18th century. In the beautiful gardens you can pick your own flowers and buy vegetables in season.
Årås säteri is situated between lakes Jogen and Vållern outside Ulricehamn, about 130 km east of Gothenburg, and is conveniently close to both cycling and walking trails.
New – a little boutique hotel, Magasinet, and glamping tents at Dahlbogården
Dahlbogården is home to an interior design store, restaurant and a pretty garden. Its new boutique hotel Magasinet has three lovely, comfortable double rooms in the converted old granary. Two architect designed wooden glamping tents are also available, each with a double bed and waterside view.
An à la carte breakfast ordered the day before, with creamy omelettes, homemade bread, refreshing smoothies or warm scones with homemade jam can be eaten in the restaurant or delivered to your tent.
Dalhbogården lies 10 km east of Alingsås – the Capital of Fika, around 60 km east of Gothenburg.
New pop-up fine dining restaurant on the island of Orust in Bohuslän
A pop-up restaurant with a focus on fine dining is being opened in February by Slussens Pensionat, promising exclusive gastronomic experiences in an intimate setting. Located right by the sea on the island Orust in Bohuslän, you can combine your stay with a sauna and cold dip.
Slussens Pensionat is a renowned hotel and restaurant where some of Sweden’s best known music artists come to perform up close on its small but perfectly formed stage in the dining room. The new pop-up restaurant, Hallins Hus, will act as a complement during the winter months, up to the end of March.
Our website was launched in French in December, at the same time as West Sweden also started to scale up promotional campaigns in France.
A social media campaign will kick off on 4 March. The campaign will emphasise West Sweden’s easily accessible nature, culture and lifestyle. Gothenburg in combination with simpler nature experiences will be an important part of it. Both the site and the campaign will showcase French tour operators with programmes featuring West Sweden.
We’ll also be collaborating with the French influencer Bruno Maltor (@brunomaltor) who is going to share some great material he has created during visits to West Sweden
A campaign is currently underway in Germany which aims to create interest in Gothenburg and West Sweden, partly as destinations in general but also with a separate focus on hiking. The digital promotion will happen via social media adverts driving online traffic to two different landing sites on the westschweden.com pages, in part to the home page but also to a special hinking portal. On the campaign pages there are also lists of tour operators selling package trips to West Sweden.
As a complement to the campaign the influencer and photographer Anna Heupel (@annaheupel, @annanassaft) has shared the material she created when she visited West Sweden in autumn 2023 to delve into climate smart holidays.
A West Swedish campaign in the Netherlands will highlight May school holidays in Sweden
A campaign in the Netherlands is now also underway which has been divided into two different parts. One has a wider focus, and aims to create interest in and familiarity with Gothenburg and West Sweden. The other is directed towards Dutch families with children at school.
In the Netherlands there is a two week long holiday at the beginning of May, and as this is a time of year when there is plenty of availability here it makes a lot of sense to attract families to spend that holiday in West Sweden.
In connection with the campaign we are also collaborating with the Kek Mama magazine and Lady Lemonade blog.
The Unionsleden has been nominated for Cycle Route of the Year 2024
The Unionsleden national cycle route has been nominated for Cycle Route of the Year in the Netherlands. The Unionsleden is a borderless national cycle route with seven stages – from Moss in Norway to Karlstad in Sweden.
The route is 350 km long of which 89 km (stages 4 and 5) go through Dalsland’s beautiful and varied natural surroundings. One minute you’ll be cycling through towns and the next alongside one of the many scenic lakes.
The winner will be announced during the Fiets en Wandelbeurs, in the Netherlands, on Friday 23 February 2024 at the Fiets- en Wandelbeurs in Utrecht.
Webinar: West Sweden Session - Taking steps to travel better, on 21 February
The West Sweden Tourist Board in cooperation with Visit Sweden will host a webinar with the topic "Taking steps to travel better". In this webinar we will explore some of what West Sweden, including Gothenburg, has to offer all year round.
The West Sweden Tourist Board together with tourism providers from three different destinations off the beaten track will share how they work together to create the best experiences for an eco-conscious holiday for their guests.
The webinar is mainly for international tour operators.
The webinar will be held online on Friday 21 February at 10:00, GMT +01:00.
The ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin) is the world's leading travel trade show and the industry's largest meeting place for securing future sales with international tour operators. West Sweden’s Karin Gesouli (travel trade manager) and Ann-Charlotte Carlsson Chevrier (marketing manager) will be at the Visit Sweden stand along with other Swedish destinations. You will find Visit Sweden’s stand at the "Die Nordischen Länder", Messe Berlin/ Hall 18.
