Tourism, accommodation and food service
Travelling is a great way to see life in neighbouring countries or in faraway places. Hundreds of millions of people travel every day – for work, vacation or to broaden one’s horizons. Visa-free travel in the Schengen area and the adoption of the euro have encouraged people to visit Estonia and made it easier for Estonian people to travel abroad. World Tourism Day is celebrated each year on September 27.
Statistics Estonia publishes the following tourism statistics:
- travelling of Estonian residents, including number of domestic and foreign trips, purposes of trips, destination countries and expenditures on trips;
- accommodated tourists and their nights spent;
- number of accommodation establishments, rooms and bed places;
- border crossings of non-residents, including their countries of residence, purposes of visit and expenditures on the trip;
- economic indicators of tourism, accommodation and food service activities.
In-depth knowledge on tourism volumes, the characteristics of tourists and costs and benefits for the national economy allow assessing the role of tourism in general economic development. Evaluating the impact of seasonal demand helps to develop a strategy for alleviating seasonality. The statistics on border crossings are an important basis for developing tourism, as they provide information on the countries of residence of tourists and their reasons for visiting.
Total | Professional, business | Holidays, leisure and recreation | Visits to friends and relatives | Other | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 1,561.2 | 147.3 | 519.0 | 879.5 | .. |
2012 | 1,761.1 | 157.1 | 685.0 | 899.1 | .. |
2013 | 1,733.6 | 177.2 | 676.2 | 866.9 | 13.3 |
2014 | 2,572.3 | 316.3 | 831.5 | 1,406.4 | 18.2 |
2015 | 2,704.4 | 321.7 | 1,029.7 | 1,275.2 | 77.7 |
2016 | 3,253.6 | 427.0 | 1,265.6 | 1,485.3 | 75.7 |
2017 | 3,276.7 | 406.3 | 1,366.5 | 1,376.3 | 127.6 |
2018 | 4,399.1 | 445.1 | 2,030.9 | 1,795.2 | 127.8 |
2019 | 3,486.3 | 410.9 | 1,600.6 | 1,330.3 | 144.5 |
2020 | 2,135.6 | 190.1 | 1,198.7 | 689.4 | 57.5 |
2021 | 2,266.5 | 206.4 | 1,354.6 | 633.8 | 71.7 |
2022 | 2,639.9 | 253.6 | 1,523.6 | 767.0 | 95.7 |
2023 | 3,231.3 | 358.4 | 1,745.2 | 978.7 | 149.0 |
2024 | 3,479.5 | 390.0 | 1,917.5 | 1,057.4 | 114.6 |
Total | Professional, business | Holidays, leisure and recreation | Visits to friends and relatives | Other | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 1,054.2 | 232.3 | 457.8 | 359.6 | .. |
2012 | 1,146.8 | 236.9 | 574.7 | 312.4 | 22.8 |
2013 | 1,165.8 | 272.4 | 652.4 | 233.4 | .. |
2014 | 1,425.5 | 395.6 | 701.1 | 311.2 | 17.6 |
2015 | 1,249.9 | 338.9 | 686.8 | 213.2 | .. |
2016 | 1,339.3 | 422.7 | 684.6 | 223.3 | .. |
2017 | 1,279.4 | 318.9 | 753.0 | 194.6 | .. |
2018 | 2,068.5 | 502.0 | 1,228.4 | 305.1 | 33.0 |
2019 | 1,701.5 | 400.3 | 999.6 | 251.4 | 50.2 |
2020 | 558.1 | 140.7 | 337.8 | 65.3 | .. |
2021 | 574.5 | 135.5 | 335.8 | 89.2 | .. |
2022 | 1,090.0 | 162.6 | 722.2 | 161.1 | 44.1 |
2023 | 1,512.8 | 286.1 | 984.4 | 193.3 | 48.9 |
2024 | 1,545.6 | 314.8 | 972.8 | 210.1 | 47.9 |
Number of accommodation establishments | Number of bedrooms | Number of bed places | |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | 1,454 | 24,503 | 59,471 |
2017 | 1,500 | 25,222 | 61,663 |
2018 | 1,535 | 24,983 | 61,193 |
2019 | 1,424 | 25,168 | 60,957 |
2020 | 1,327 | 24,556 | 59,640 |
2021 | 1,324 | 24,489 | 59,486 |
2022 | 1,337 | 25,415 | 61,971 |
2023 | 1,307 | 25,326 | 61,904 |
2024 | 1,314 | 25,729 | 63,093 |
The numbers of domestic and foreign tourists increased by 4% in May year on year
According to Statistics Estonia, accommodation establishments served 304,000 tourists in May 2025, which is 4% more than in May last year. The numbers of foreign and domestic tourists both increased by 4% year on year.
The number of accommodated tourists was up by 7% in April year on year
According to Statistics Estonia, accommodation establishments served 251,000 tourists in April 2025, which is 7% more than in the same month last year. There were 16% more foreign tourists. The number of accommodated domestic tourists did not change significantly year on year.
The number of accommodated tourists decreased in March year on year
According to Statistics Estonia, accommodation establishments served 217,000 tourists in March 2025, which is 9% less than in the same month a year earlier. The number of foreign tourists declined by 7% and the number of domestic tourists by 11%.