A research-backed destination prescription program has been curated and made available as Sweden positions itself as the world’s first country to which travel can be prescribed by a doctor

The new global survey, commissioned by Visit Sweden and conducted by YouGov, revealed that a majority of respondents had never heard about nature, cultural. or social prescriptions. In the US, only 6% of respondents reported ever receiving such a prescription, and in the UK, only 3% had a social prescription issued by their physicians. However, two out of three respondents said they would be open to spending more time in nature if a doctor prescribed it.

Sweden’s prescription program is based on three intervention themes: nature, culture, and social prescribing. The recent launch enables patients to download a medical referral to support an application to their general practitioner (GP), to benefit from a restorative experience in Sweden that could improve their health – for instance, picking cloudberries in the forest to lower blood pressure, or sleeping under a starry sky on an island in the archipelago to help regulate the circadian rhythm.

General practitioners can now generate a prescription and advise patients to spend time in Sweden. The program has identified several doctors who are ready to issue such a prescription when appropriate.

To learn more and access a prescription form, click here