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Leave the cockpit for a day!

There will always be days during your holiday when you don’t want to sail as much or perhaps not at all. In Bohuslän you will find lots of sights and attractions to suit all tastes and ages. Always check with the harbour hosts or local Tourist Information what you can visit in the area and how to get there. Rent bikes or use public transport. There may even be organised trips on offer.
One of the larger visitor attractions is The Nordic Watercolour Museum in Skärhamn. Molekylverkstan at Stenungsund Science Centre will entertain all ages, as will Havets Hus in Lysekil. Nordens Ark has its own small guest harbour in the Åby Fjord, but is within easy reach of Smögen and Hunnebostrand. Among UNESCO´s World Heritage sites are the rock-carvings in Tanum, which is most easily reached from Fjällbacka or Grebbestad.

Bohuslän invests in boating tourism

Our knowledge about the extent of the boating tourism and how it affects the economy and employment levels has increased significantly over the last few years. From being ’a pleasant feature of the seaside environment’, boating tourism is now considered one of the major growth factors, especially for Bohuslän, which has a more than 46% market share of visitors to the country’s guest harbours.

All areas of Bohuslän are part of the regional growth program, Boat & Sea, which has been initiated by the Tourist Board for the West of Sweden.

In the northern part of Bohuslän, the four local councils have recently together pointed to the visitor industry as the most important growth factor/industry where boating tourism is one of the prioritised areas. Many communities are sending out clear signals that boating tourists will see an improvement to offerings, experiences and services along the popular Bohuslän coast. A few examples:
- On the island of Koster, the country’s first marine national park is being planned; boating tourists are expected to be one of the main target groups for this.

- Strömstad Tourist, which runs the guest harbour in Strömstad, wants its operations to become more business-like by developing services, hospitality and the possibilities of add-on sales.

- In the Tanum Strand guest harbour the turnover has doubled thanks to catering deliveries straight to the cockpit.

- In several guest harbours, such as Marstrand, Stenungsund, Skärhamn, Björholmens Marina and all the harbours in Tanum, you can, for a fee, pre-book a berth so you can spend more time exploring the archipelago.

- Differentiated pricing has been introduced in some of the harbours depending on season, level of service and popularity.

- Sotenäs is planning improvements to the services offered by a number of guest harbours for the coming season, while at the same time the council has begun strategic work to develop boating tourism in the whole of its area.

- Wireless broadband is available in around twenty harbours in Bohuslän.

- In Fiskebäckskil the privately owned and very popular guest harbour Lyckans Slip, which despite being given 3 awards for Gold Star Harbour*, keeps on developing its first class hospitality and Lysekil continues to invent events in coastal surroundings, where for example the mussel gets its own festival this year.

- On the inside of the islands Orust and Tjörn, shopkeepers in Stenungsund treat visiting boating tourists to breakfast rolls, morning paper and a welcome pack and in Uddevalla the improvements to the guest harbour in the town centre have already doubled the number of visiting vessels.

- The ’Best-Coast’ with Tjörn, Orust and Stenungsund have been working together for a few years to offer a common Guest Harbour Pass, which can be loaded with advantages, packages and experiences for visitors travelling by boat.

- The Best-Coast, Uddevalla and Lysekil are together promoting ’The Inside’ to increase the number of boating tourists on the inside of Orust/Tjörn.

- Marstrand continues to strengthen its position as sailing centre with new national and international events, while at the same time starting a Carpe Mare-project for the development of the Marstrand Harbour.

- Despite the fact that all guest harbours in the Öckerö archipelago are owned and run by harbour associations and private players, the local council is investing a lot of resources into helping to raise the service levels in all guest harbours. Apart from pure investments, a partnership has been set up, where the council and harbour owners together work to increase the attractiveness of the harbour destinations.
”A lot of positive things are happening, but we are far from content”, says Anders Svedberg, Business Developer for The West of Sweden Tourist Board. ”We must remember that most of these harbours have been run like parking areas for boats and not like modern accommodation complexes and the change will take time”, says Anders Svedberg who is looking forward with confidence to coming seasons, which he hopes will be both longer and more memorable for boating tourists visiting this area.
More natural harbours, virtual fairways, wireless broadband for the whole of the area, bookable guest harbours, differentiated pricing according to season, popularity and service – yes, the list is long when he sets out his visions for the future.

For more information:
Anders Svedberg, The West of Sweden Tourist Board
Tel. +46 31 818 314 or +46 705 573 939

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