Hostship Linköping

Hospitality Linköping is Visit Linköping & Co’s and Linköpings Innersta’s joint initiative to enhance hospitality in Linköping. The long-term goal is for Linköping to become a destination with better hospitality than comparable destinations in Sweden. 

The background to the initiative is that Linköping in recent years has shown to fall below the average in how visitors perceive the welcome compared to other larger Swedish municipalities. The same measurements show that a good welcome is the most important travel reason when tourists choose to visit a place. It is encouraging that the first measurements and development efforts carried out have indicated a positive development.

The initiative is especially important now as the economy entails even tougher competition for visitors between cities and businesses. Rarely has the importance of good hospitality been as important as it is now and going forward to be able to attract more visitors to Linköping.

How
The research company Better Business conducted baseline measurements in the fall of 2021 among participating businesses, and based on the results, educational efforts were directed towards the functions that needed to be developed. The method used is so-called Mystery Shopping. New measurements were conducted in the summer of 2022, 2023, and 2024, and new educational efforts will be conducted in the spring of 2025 to stimulate development. A new measurement is planned to be carried out in the summer of 2025.

Who
The project is aimed at all businesses that meet visitors (e.g., shops, restaurants, accommodation facilities, and attractions) in Linköping Municipality. Over 150 businesses that are members of Linköpings Innersta are already connected to the project. A total of over 190 businesses are participating.

Cost
If you are active in the tourism industry, the measurements and efforts are free of charge. Businesses connected to Linköpings Innersta are funded through their membership and Visit Linköping & Co. Businesses in other areas of the tourism industry are funded by Visit Linköping & Co.

This includes
Educational efforts to improve hospitality, spring
Two visits from Mystery Shopper, summer
Report back to your individual business, fall
Opportunity to become Linköping’s best business in hospitality, fall

When

Measurement during the summer of 2025

22 October: Hospitality mingle and award ceremony for best hospitality 2025

November – December: Hospitality talks

Registration
We welcome more companies to join the project and future measurement. To register, email liza.henriksson@visitlinkoping.se.

Award winners of this year’s best hospitality award 2025

In the autumn of 2025, during a Hospitality mingle, Visit Linköping & Co and Linköping’s innermost awarded several Linköping companies in the tourism industry that stand out particularly in hospitality. This time, the Top 5 were also awarded during the five years the measurement has been made, 2021-2025.

Read more about the winners here!