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– It feels exhausting but fantastically enjoyable, says Veronica Karlsson, co-owner of a restaurant in Nora Township.
Nora is a example of a municipality where companies registered in the hotel and restaurant industry have performed exceptionally well. In total, they have increased their sales by more than 150 percent, thanks largely to a record summer.
Veronica Karlsson says her restaurant broke records too, especially during the summer, but says the fall looked great too.
– More guests come during the week than before. It’s not as concentrated on weekends, but we’ve been able to open since Wednesday, so we’ve opened an extra day quite easily.
Unlike the municipality of Nora, companies in most municipalities have had a lower turnover between March and September of this year, compared to the average during the same period between 2013 and 2019. This shows figures for VAT returns from the Swedish Tax Agency that Ekot requested and processed.
Figures refer to companies who declared VAT once a month, and September is the last month that had quality assured information when Ekot participated in them.
The loss of turnover has been in many cases higher than 10 percent, in some cases, as in the municipality of Arjeplog, companies have lost more than 50 percent.
“Suddenly we have ended up in a cul-de-sac instead of being a road that people like to take to and from Norway,” says Anna-Lena Le Goascogne, destination developer at Arjeplog.
But, even on Arjeplog it has not been simply gloomy. The vacation villages around the township had perfectly acceptable occupancy this summer, says Anna-Lena.
– Maybe it was a bit hit or miss, but people may be looking for a little more remote places. Maybe not as many as in a normal summer, but there were people who found it here, so not everything is black.
