At the beginning of the year the number of tourists in accommodation establishments decreased

In the 1st quarter 165,000 domestic tourists and 194,000 foreign tourists used the services of accommodation establishments. More than a half of foreign tourists came from Finland. In the 1st quarter the number of Finnish tourists decreased 8% compared to the same period of the previous year. The number of tourists decreased from all major tourism partner countries, except Russia. At the beginning of the year, in the low season of tourism, Russia became Estonia’s second partner country in tourism after Finland. In the 1st quarter 23,000 tourists from Russia used the services of accommodation establishments, which was 18% more than in the 1st quarter of the previous year.

In the 1st quarter of 2009 compared to the same period of the previous year, 40,000 Estonian residents less stayed in accommodation establishments. The number of domestic tourists has fallen below the level of the year 2006. The number of business trips decreased most. The number of tourists on business trips decreased 28% and the number of tourists on holiday trips 9% compared to the 1st quarter of the previous year.

In March 125,000 tourists stayed in accommodation establishments of Estonia, of which 55% were foreign tourists. In March 715 accommodation establishments offered accommodation services to tourists. 16,300 rooms and 35,100 beds were available for tourists. The room occupancy rate was 29% only, staying seven percentage points lower than in March of the previous year. In previous years, the room occupancy rate in March remained at the level of around 40%. The average cost of a guest night in an accommodation establishment was 423 kroons, which was 8% cheaper compared to March 2008.

Accommodation by regions, March 2009