May brought tourists to accommodation establishments

In May 222,000 tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, of which one third were domestic tourists. In recent years, the number of domestic tourists grew rapidly in the first month of tourism season compared to the same month of previous year — by one third in 2006 and by one fifth in 2007. In May 2008, only 6% more domestic tourists used the services of accommodation establishments compared to the same period of previous year.

In May 150,000 foreign tourists or 20,000 foreign tourists more than in May of the previous year stayed in accommodation establishments. Unlike in a couple of previous years, the number of foreign tourists increased this May. More tourists than in May of the previous year arrived from Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Last May the number of Russian tourists in accommodation establishments fell below 3,000, but in May of this year already more than 7,000 Russian tourists used the services of accommodation establishments. The number of tourists from Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom decreased compared to the previous year.

In May, 807 accommodation establishments with 17,400 rooms and 38,100 beds were available for tourists. The room occupancy rate was 46%. The room occupancy rate was bigger than the average in the accommodation establishments of Northern Estonia.

The average cost of a guest night in an accommodation establishment was 555 kroons, i.e. 2% more expensive than in May 2007. The cost of a guest night was highest in Tallinn — 690 kroons. In large accommodation establishments with 100 and more rooms, the average cost of a guest night was 645 kroons. In small accommodation establishments with up to 9 rooms, the average cost of a guest night was 279 kroons.

Accommodation by regions, May 2008