Vemdalen Summer 2.0

The project started on February 12, 2019, and was completed in October 2020. The aim of the project was to enhance the experience for guests and residents by improving the range of activities available during the summer, with a focus on families with children.

The following was implemented in the project:
A pump track and a short track for cycling were built at Vemdalsskalet and Storhogna M.
Two playgrounds were set up, one at Hotell Klövsjöfjäll and one at Storhogna Högfjällshotell och Spa.
Five hiking trails with tasks and play areas for children were built. A Troll Trail was created on Vemdalsskalet with both painted and carved trolls along a short hike of about 500 meters. A Plupp Trail was built starting at Storhogna Högfjällshotell and Spa. An adventure trail with an animal theme and a quiz was set up in Björnrike. A mountain pasture tour with information about mountain pasture life in Klövsjö was set up next to Klövsjöfjäll Hotell och Konferens. A quiz about mountain pasture life in Klövsjö was also set up on the same trail. Adjacent to the playground in Klövsjö, Myrornas lek och balansbana (The Ants' Play and Balance Course) was also built for the youngest children.

Quality improvements were made at three of our most popular waterfalls. At Sångbäcksfallet, a staircase was built that followed the natural contours of the terrain, making it easy to get down to the enchanting waterfall. At Fallmoran waterfall, a new footbridge was laid, a new staircase was built to the upper falls, a new toilet was installed, and improved signage was put in place.

A wide range of free activities was organized at Vemdalsskalet Square. Here, children could play with jump ropes, hula hoops, stilts, ride pedal cars, cycle, and jump on skate ramps, among other things.

A preliminary study was conducted, which provided us with a lot of input on what needed to be prioritized in future investments for the development of the destination during the summer. The preliminary study included workshops with entrepreneurs and local residents, as well as the cycling section of Vemdalens IF. Two surveys were conducted, one among visitors to the area and one among cottage owners in the area. The company Trail Solutions made an inventory of the cycling trails used for cycling within Destination Vemdalen. Most of the designated cycling trails were not for commercial use but were mainly used by the local population or cottage owners based on the right of public access.

During meetings within the project, individual ideas were also put forward and taken into consideration.

During the project period, we saw an increase in the number of visitors to the destination. It was difficult to say whether the increase was solely due to the project; it was probably a combination of the project's content and the ongoing pandemic that led more people to choose to vacation in Sweden and the mountains. The number of day visitors increased by 6,404 at the tourist information office during the summer months, and the number of guest nights increased by 11,602 during the snow-free period.

Popular venues
We were delighted with the increase in visitor numbers and that all the venues built as part of the project became so popular with locals, clubs and visitors alike. We noticed a significant increase in pressure on both hiking and cycling trails, which increased wear and tear and placed higher demands on care and maintenance. We therefore appointed a working group to continue working on how we could jointly solve the financing of trail maintenance in the future in order to protect animals and wildlife. We hoped to be able to do this in close dialogue with private landowners.

Budget
The total budget for the project was approximately SEK 2 million, with local co-financing of approximately SEK 500,000. Local co-financiers were Storhogna Högfjällshotell och Spa, Hornbrytaren 1 AB, Storhogna Property AB, Vemdalsfastigheter, SkiStar AB, Nyman och Hallberg i Storhogna AB, Destination Vemdalen AB, and Skilodge Skalspasset AB. Additional support came from the Rural Development Program and Leader Sjö, Skog och Fjäll.

You can read the entire final report with appendices here:

Final report Vemdalen Summer 2.0. ver.2

Appendix 1 Presentation of guest survey results, summer 2019

Appendix 2 Questionnaire for cottage owners, summer 2019

Appendix 3 Inventory of cycle paths within Destination Vemdalen

Do you have questions about the project? Email info@vemdalen.se