Sweden has become the first country to consolidate its entire tourism industry into an open digital platform, allowing free access to data across all regions. Olivia Palamountain reports

Sweden has launched the world's first national tourism API, consolidating data from all 21 regions into a single open platform that makes around 14,000 destinations, accommodations, events and experiences freely accessible to developers and businesses worldwide.

The Application Programming Interface by Visit Sweden represents a pioneering approach to national tourism marketing, structuring the nation's entire tourism offering using the global data standard schema.org. Unlike traditional tourism websites, the system allows anyone to access, reuse and integrate Swedish tourism data into digital services without licensing fees, from AI-powered travel apps to sustainability tracking tools.

The platform addresses a longstanding challenge in tourism technology - fragmented data across multiple regional and local systems. By centralising information whilst allowing data contributors to retain ownership, Sweden has created what officials describe as the first nationally coordinated digital tourism infrastructure.
Sara Modig, state secretary to Sweden's minister for energy and business, says: "By bringing Sweden's tourism industry together under a shared digital standard, we're strengthening the country's international appeal and making it easier for travellers around the world to explore our unique destinations."

The system enables real-time data integration with external sources including weather information and public transport schedules, potentially creating more responsive travel planning tools. Each contributor updates their content in one location, automatically distributing it across multiple digital channels whilst ensuring travellers encounter accurate information regardless of platform.

Major Swedish hospitality companies already participating include Scandic Hotels, Best Western Hotels & Resort, Strawberry, Svenska Turistföreningen and Göta Kanal, with additional partners joining regularly. The collaborative approach involved Sweden's regional tourism organisations, municipalities, industry bodies and individual tourism companies throughout development.

Nils Persson, chief marketing officer at Visit Sweden, said: "We're incredibly proud to be among the first countries in the world to unify our tourism offering in line with schema.org. This positions Sweden as a competitive, digitally visible destination and opens the door to exciting innovation."

The initiative aligns with Sweden's national data strategy and represents a concrete application of open data principles to economic growth and global competitiveness. The approach could influence how other countries structure their digital tourism strategies, particularly as travel planning increasingly relies on automated systems and artificial intelligence.

Susanne Andersson, chief executive of Visit Sweden, says: "The strength lies not only in the scale of the data, but in the fact that it includes credible, quality content - from small independent businesses to major hotel chains - across the entire country. And we've built this in collaboration with regions and industry stakeholders."

The open architecture means the platform can accommodate future technological developments without requiring complete system overhauls. Small local tour operators can access the same distribution channels as major hotel chains, potentially levelling the digital playing field in tourism marketing.

Jonas Siljhammar, chief executive of Visita, Sweden's hospitality industry association, says: "It's very encouraging to see Sweden's tourism industry come together in a dedicated API that guarantees effective, long-term digital visibility."

The system launches as tourism authorities worldwide grapple with the challenge of maintaining digital relevance across rapidly evolving technological platforms. Sweden's approach suggests a shift towards treating tourism data as national infrastructure rather than marketing material, potentially transforming how destinations compete for international visitors.