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| Sweden.se "On the trail of Sweden's most famous detective" |
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| Posted 2006-07-19 |
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 Sweden.se, a web site promoting Swedish culture abroad, has an article from writer David Wiles discussing how the Wallander novels have brought international attention to Ystad.
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The decision by Mankell to give his character employment with Ystad police has been the tourism equivalent of striking oil under the town square. A study carried out for the regional authority has estimated that 128 million people worldwide will see the Wallander movies. As a result, tourism is forecast to increase by between four and ten per cent by 2008, generating millions of Swedish kronor for the local economy.
Besides obligatory stops at the Wallander apartment and the hilltop police station, fans eat and drink at his favorite haunts and stay at the hotels that feature in the books. The latest addition to enthusiasts' itineraries is Cineteket, a visitor center next door to the studios where the Wallander movies are produced. Here devotees have the opportunity to see how the movies are made and take a tour that includes the set of his apartment.
Itta Johnson, head of tourism, says: "Ystad is going to exist long after Wallander, and it has so much else going for it. So we are very careful that Ystad does not become Wallanderland." |
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The article ends with some good news for anxious fans of the Henning Mankell series, so be sure to read "On the trail of Sweden's most famous detective" at Sweden.se |
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