FAM trip: Tour operators explore Västerbotten in Northern Sweden

NordicMarketing on tour in Swedish Västerbotten

In mid-March, a FAM trip took us to the Västerbotten region – far in the North of Sweden. We explored the urban coastal region and part of the inland with interested tour operators from Germany and Switzerland.
Situated in the sub-polar climate zone, Västerbotten makes it possible to develop varied travel programmes in all eight different seasons. On our FAM trip, we were able to experience the Nordic spring winter – the unbeaten favourite among the local population. During this time, the vast snowy landscapes are accompanied by long, often sunny periods of daylight, while the nights remain cold and dark, providing the best conditions for seeing the Northern Lights and a breathtaking starry sky.

Far away from mass tourism

The destination offers an exciting contrast of urban culture in the larger coastal towns such as Umeå and Skellefteå and varied activity programmes in the lesser populated inland of the region. Far away from mass tourism, the Swedish wilderness can be experienced in an authentic way through small local providers.

Västerbotten is located between the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and the mountains towards the Norwegian border and thus offers the best conditions for a variety of outdoor activities. Water activities of all kinds await you on the coast, the lakes or the large mountain rivers (‘älvar’), which offer family-friendly timber raft adventures, canoeing and thrilling rafting adventures. For hiking enthusiasts, the region offers numerous hiking trails and, as part of Sapmi, there are various opportunities for Sámi culture programmes – with or without reindeer experiences.

Reaching Västerbotten from Central Europe without taking a flight?

The security staff at several German airports went on strike exactly on the day the FAM trip was supposed to start – half of the participants were affected by this. We really wanted for everyone to be able to participate in the FAM trip as planned, so we got to it and were able to find alternative solutions in no time:
Two participants started their journey by sea (on the ferry connections Travemünde-Trelleborg and Kiel-Gothenburg). Their journey then continued by bus and/or long-distance train to Stockholm-Arlanda, from where the tour operators were able to sit back and relax for the last 600 km on the plane. Finally, we were able to welcome everyone at the airport in Umeå around midnight – tired, but also quite happy to experience not only alternative travel options but also the sustainable slow-travel options to the far North of Sweden.
At the same time, the strike situation perfectly illustrated just how important tour operators remain today and why consumers prefer to book their package holidays with travel professionals. We emphasized this point repeatedly to our Swedish partners.

Numerous travel options

In addition to the above-mentioned travel options, the region of Västerbotten can be reached in various ways. Skellefteå is about 300 km and Umeå about 400 km south of the Arctic Circle, directly on the Arctic coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. Both cities can be easily reached by plane from Stockholm. It takes about 20 minutes from Skellefteå airport to the city centre. In Umeå, the city centre can be reached from the airport in just 10 minutes. The city can also easily be reached by ferry from Vaasa in Finland. Alternatively, there is the option of taking the night train from Stockholm to Umeå.

These travel options offer a vast number of options when it comes to travel production by air, land or water. When travelling via the Baltic Sea, combining the journey with a visit to Finland can be a good option.

Urban culture in Umeå

The FAM trip started in bright sunshine and lots of impressions from passionate companies in the city centre of Umeå. A very inclusive community planning, unique flavours from "Norrland" and a wonderful fika experience were on the agenda for the morning.   

We then left the coast and the city behind and headed further into the inland of Västerbotten. At Granö Beckasin, the tour operators saw what it looks like when social and ecological sustainability are the primary goal. Impressed by the overall concept, they went on a snowshoeing excursion and gathered exciting forest knowledge from very skilled and even German-speaking guides.

Västerbotten`s inland

Lycksele: At Gammplatsen, the participants dived deep into the rich and exciting history of the area, from the first rock paintings to the Sami culture and the changes taking place in forestry. We were then invited to go up on snowmobiles to Lycksele's new wooden shelter with a fantastic view and – of course – boiled coffee ('kokkaffe') for a small energy boost.

After trying out various activities on the frozen river, we were happy to be invited to the hotel's spa and try the excellent cuisine. Shared meals often lead to interesting discussions about the daily challenges that tour operators have to face at home. 

From Lycksele, we headed back towards the coast via Ruskträsk and Svansele. The first winter activity of the day was an exciting dog sled ride – a self-drive tour on a shared sled. After a short greeting with Icelandic horses, the tour continued to the region's popular wilderness exhibition with coffee and storytelling. Both the day and the FAM trip ended in Skellefteå.

Authentic Västerbotten: 
A region for different target groups

The days flew by and the participants were very happy with the trip. Some were visiting Northern Sweden for the first time and were surprised by what Västerbotten has to offer: authenticity, small businesses, sustainability and very passionate companies all got the tour operators convinced of the destination. The region's versatile portfolio manages to serve to customers with different wishes, expectations and needs.

Larger hotels are perfectly suitable for accommodating larger bus groups, while smaller facilities offer hotel rooms, apartments or self-catering vacation cottages. In terms of travel production, both a cultural focus and a focus on nature experiences with various difficulties are possible. The small distance to Norway makes it possible to produce great combination tours. For example, if guests are traveling by rental car on the Vildmarksvägen, a detour across the border from Lake Stora Blåsjön takes less than 10 minutes. 

Impressions from the accommodation we visited:

FAM trips with NordicMarketing

The information trips with NordicMarketing are organized together with partners and clients from Finland, Sweden or Norway. They are aimed exclusively at selected tour operators from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands or Belgium who already offer the Nordic countries in their product portfolio or would like to do so in the future. 
If you would like to know more about our FAM trips, you can find more information here: