In the aftermath of St. Olav, the pilgrim tourism flourished with various trails leading through Jämtland and Härjedalen. The pilgrims needed accommodation and food along their route and searched for this in the farms. In places lacking permanent inhabitants, plain cabins, called 'soul shelters' or ‘själastugor' were built.

Following the peace treaty at Brömsebro in 1645, and after many years of war, Jämtland
Härjedalen became Swedish once again. Guesthouses were built to facilitate communications
between the authorities and the local population - and the collection of taxes.
The mobile tradesmen, in Swedish called 'forbönder' travelled in horse-drawn sleighs to the
winter markets in Röros and Levanger in Norway and to Uppsala.

Following in the tracks of Carl von Linné (Carolus Linnaeus), many gentlemen, so-called 'flower
gents' were building their own herbaria and made their way to the mountains. By the end of
the 1800s, various spa and water-cure resorts evolved. The guests revelled in the clear air, the
pure water and the generous hospitality.

Once the railway opened in 1882, Jämtland became even more accessible and a number of new hotels and guesthouses stood ready to welcome the visitors. At this time, 25 hunting lodges were built in the area by Swedish and international industrialists and squires. They bought large highland properties and built magnificent huntingvillas, of which many are still in place.

Around the turn of the century various initiatives were made to stimulate tourism. The Swedish Touring Club - STF - was started in 1885, with a main focus on journeys to and within Norrland, the northern part of Sweden. Businessmen and bankers in Östersund launched Jämtlands Turistbyrå in 1894. The visitors were keen on hiking in the mountains and in 1897, STF opened the first tourist lodge at Sylarna, it is still on display at Jamtli in Östersund. The summer farms, shielings, came to play an important part, both as destinations for an outing and for overnight stays. Also popular were outlook towers, historic monuments, waterfalls and various natural formations. The popular winter sports included curling, tobogganing, ice-skating and skiing. In 1938 holidays were laid down by law in Sweden. The bicycle, moped and eventually the private car became essential means of transport for the members of the public who opted to escape everyday life to experience new environments.

The Stenmark alpine racing era in the 1970s contributed strongly to the development of the winter sports destinations in the county. Jämtland Härjedalen of today is a major tourist county with a wide and large array of activities, in the summer just like in winter. The secret recipe still remains the clean air, the pure water and the excellent hospitality.