The Dutch are the fastest growing group of foreign holiday home owners in Sweden. Compared to last year, Dutch ownership in the country doubled to 2600 holiday homes. This is evident from figures published on Monday by the Swedish land registry manager Lantmateriet.

A total of 79,000 Swedish holiday homes, approximately 14 to 15 percent of the total, are in foreign hands. Two years ago there were less than 34,000.

According to Lantmateriet, Danes (22,000), Germans (18,700) and Norwegians (16,100) have the most holiday homes of all foreigners. A spokesperson for Swedish real estate agents says that Germans prefer to choose holiday homes on the edges of villages. The Dutch want to be further away from the built-up area and, above all, to be close to or in nature. | © 2011 Marcel Burger for ANP News Agency (original published in Dutch on 14 March 2011)