Sweden offers guests a chance to stay like locals

This summer, a brand new initiative has launched in West Sweden, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the Swedish lifestyle from a local perspective.

Meet the Locals enables curious travellers to engage and spend time with locals in Gothenburg and West Sweden who are eager to offer a taste of the Swedish way of life, whether hiking through stunning landscapes, cooking delicious traditional foods or simply enjoying ‘fika’ together.

The West Sweden Tourist Board has gathered together an extensive database of locals across West Sweden, all of whom are keen to meet visitors to the region and share a slice of their everyday life or hobby.

All of the locals are listed on the West Sweden Tourist Board’s website, with information about themselves and what they can offer visitors.

Any visitor who wishes to get in touch simply submits a brief questionnaire about themselves, which is then sent through to the local in question in order for them to make direct contact.

Ann-Charlotte Carlsson, head of marketing and communications for the West Sweden Tourist Board, commented: “One of the difficulties when travelling to a new country or region for the first time is meeting locals and getting a real understanding of the people and culture.

“We wanted to give visitors to West Sweden the chance to get much closer to the Swedish lifestyle, so we came up with the Meet the Locals initiative as a new way to experience, and travel around, the region.

“The fundamentally Swedish concepts of sharing, collaboration and equality are at the very heart of the initiative, from individuals who want to share their hobby through to activities that advocate the sharing or borrowing of resources.”