Tourism survey

The purpose of the statistical activity is to collect information on the travel of Estonian residents and to obtain objective tourism statistics that are comparable between European countries, which will help to increase the potential of the tourism sector in the future. In order to plan actions to strengthen the country's competitiveness and to evaluate the situation of the tourism sector, adequate statistics on trips, tourists, travel expenditure, and economic benefits of tourism are needed.

Probability survey

Overnight domestic and outbound trips of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip, organisation of trip, primary destination, and duration of trip;

number of nights of Estonian residents spent on domestic and outbound trips by type of accommodation;

expenditure on overnight domestic and outbound trips of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip

Classification of Occupations 2008;

Classification of Estonian administrative units and settlements (EHAK);

Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP);

Classification of countries and territories;

National Standard Classification of Education 2011

Not applicable

Business trip – a conference, a seminar or a meeting; an educational and study trip; a visit to an exhibition or fair; performing at a concert. Generally a business trip is paid for by the employer or organisation.

Accommodation in camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks – a short-term accommodation in camping grounds, trailer parks, hunting and fishing camps, health camps and other such recreational camps; provision of space and parking facilities for recreational vehicles; shelters, protective shelters or plain bivouac facilities for placing tents and/or sleeping bags

Day trip – domestic or outbound trip without overnight stay

Free accommodation – free private accommodation, including staying at the homes of family members, relatives, or acquaintances, or overnight stays at one's own apartment or house that has been acquired for the purpose of spending holidays, incl. in a residence acquired for personal or company timeshares, etc.

Holiday trip – a personal trip for leisure or recreation purposes, including, for example, a relaxing trip, a trip to engage in a hobby, art or sports, a trip for cultural and entertainment events

Hotel and similar establishment – a hotel, motel, guest house. Accommodation establishments belonging to this category offer daily room cleaning and bed-making, and the accommodation establishment can offer a variety of additional services (catering, parking and laundry service, opportunity to use the swimming pool, gym, conference rooms, recreation rooms, etc.).

Other paid accommodation – accommodation in a campsite, cottage, holiday home, hostel, bed and breakfast, yacht harbour, etc. Additional services are limited.

Other personal trip – visiting a sanatorium or other health-related trip, religious trip, pilgrimage, etc. Other personal trips include study trips, if they are not related to work.

Tourism – the movement of people outside their usual environment for leisure, work, cultural or other purposes and their stay there for up to one year. Trips related to working abroad for more than one year and working as part of the crew of an international means of transport (e.g. cruise ship workers, long-distance drivers) are not considered tourism.

Overnight domestic trip (internal tourism) – trips with overnight stays by permanent residents within their country of residence

Expenditure on an overnight domestic trip – expenses per domestic trip. This includes expenditure on transport for the domestic trip, expenditure on accommodation, on food and drink in cafés and restaurants, and other expenditure (entertainment, purchases, services, incl. durable goods and valuables).

Overnight outbound trip (international tourism) – trips with overnight stays outside the country of residence by permanent residents of a country

Expenditure on an overnight outbound trip – expenses per outbound trip. This includes expenditure on transport for the outbound trip, expenditure on accommodation, on food and drink in cafés and restaurants, and other expenditure (entertainment, purchases, services, incl. durable goods and valuables).

Trip – business trips (meetings, conferences, seminars, further training, etc.), irregular visits to relatives and friends (birthdays, weddings, funerals, graduations, other family celebrations; communal work, etc.), attending cultural events (concerts, theatre performances, sports competitions, etc.), holiday trip (to the beach, skiing, water park, etc.), shopping trip; visiting a summer cottage, country house, parents or children, if this occurs less than once a week during the reference period

Usual environment – the term has two dimensions: geographical proximity and frequency of visits. Places close to the usual place of residence are part of the usual environment, even if they are visited infrequently. Places visited habitually and frequently (on average once a week or more) are part of the usual environment, even if they are located quite far from the usual place of residence (even in another country). Irregular weekend and holiday trips to the household's second home (owned or rented) are included under tourism.

Visiting a friend or relative – participating in family gatherings (a funeral, wedding, helping in work, etc.)

For collecting data on participation in tourism, the statistical unit is the individual;

for collecting data on tourism trips and day trips, the statistical unit is the trip made by the individual.

The population includes permanent residents of Estonia aged 15 years and over who live in private households. Persons living in institutions are excluded from the survey in order to improve the comparability of Estonian and Eurostat data. Persons living in institutions include, for example, those in prisons, hospitals, conscript service, etc.

Estonia as a whole

2006–…

Not applicable

Trips – number in thousands;

average expenditures per trip – euro

Year;

quarter

Official Statistics Act;

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1681 of 1 August 2019 amending Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning European statistics on tourism, as regards the transmission deadlines and adaptation of Annexes I and II (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 253/2013 of 15 January 2013 amending Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards adaptations following the revision of the International Standard Classification of Education ISCED in relation to the variables and breakdowns to be submitted (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1051/2011 of 20 October implementing Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning European statistics on tourism, as regards the structure of the quality reports and the transmission of the data (Text with EEA relevance);

Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 concerning European statistics on tourism and repealing Council Directive 95/57/EC (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1179 of 16 July 2021 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1051/2011 as regards the aggregate tables and micro-data files for the transmission of the data (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 81/2013 of 29 January 2013 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1051/2011 as regards the micro-data files for the transmission of data (Text with EEA relevance).

With each publication, the data files requested by Eesti Pank (Bank of Estonia) are forwarded to them no later than the last day of the month in which the quarterly data are published.

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 32, § 34, § 35 and § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.

On European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

The dissemination of data collected for the production of official statistics is based on the requirements laid down in §§ 34 and 35 of the Official Statistics Act. The principles for treatment of confidential data can be found here.

Indicators are not published if they are based on data from fewer than 20 observation units.

Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on the website. Every year on 1 October, the release times of the statistical database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications for the following year are announced in the release calendar (in the case of publications – the release month).

The release calendar is available to consumers on the website Calendar.

All users have been granted equal access to official statistics: dissemination dates of official statistics are announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and mass media) is provided access to official statistics before other users. Official statistics are first published in the statistical database. If there is also a news release, it is published simultaneously with data in the statistical database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8:00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar.

Year;

quarter

The news release “Travel of Estonian residents” is published once a year. The news items can be viewed on Statistics Estonia's website in the section News.

Not published

Data are published in the statistical database under the subject area Economy /Tourism, accommodation and catering / Travelling of Estonian residents.

Quarterly data tables:

TU51: Overnight domestic and outbound trips of residents by main purpose of trip (quarterly),

TU54: Overnight domestic and outbound trips of residents by duration of trip (quarterly),

TU551: Nights spent during domestic and outbound trips of residents by type of accommodation (quarterly),

TU56: Expenditure on an overnight domestic trip of residents by main purpose of trip (quarterly),

TU63: Overnight outbound trips of residents by country of destination (quarterly),

TU661: Expenditure on an overnight outbound trip of residents by main purpose of trip (quarterly).


Annual data tables:

TU510: Overnight domestic and outbound trips of residents by main purpose of trip,

TU530: Overnight domestic trips of residents by primary destination,

TU540: Overnight domestic and outbound trips of residents by duration of trip,

TU550: Nights spent during domestic and outbound trips of residents by type of accommodation,

TU560: Expenditure on an overnight domestic trip of residents by main purpose of trip,

TU630: Overnight outbound trips of residents by country of destination,

TU660: Expenditure on an overnight outbound trip of residents by main purpose of trip.

For datasets published as part of this statistical activity but now discontinued, see "Length of comparable time series".

Data tables related to the survey were viewed 2,172 times in 2024, 1,552 times in 2023, 1,525 times in 2022, 1,594 times in 2021, and 2,726 times in 2020.
Each table view is counted as a separate viewing. This is based on the database URLs, which show that the data have been selected and the table formed. Only active data tables, i.e. those being published, have been taken into account.

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 33, § 34, § 35, § 36, § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.
Access to microdata and anonymisation of microdata are regulated by Statistics Estonia’s procedure for dissemination of confidential data for scientific purposes.

The survey microdata are transmitted to Eurostat once a year via the data transmission program EDAMIS.

Tourism statistics are also available on the following websites:

dedicated section on tourism, accommodation and food service,

dashboard on tourism,

Eurostat tourism page,

EU tourism page,

OECD database, and

UN Tourism data dashboard.

Data serve as input for statistical activity 50101 “Regional development”.

The data are submitted to Eesti Pank on a quarterly basis in accordance with the agreement.

The collection and transmission of data to Eurostat is governed by Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The survey data in aggregated form are transmitted to Eurostat once a year. Microdata are transmitted to Eurostat once a year via the data transmission program EDAMIS. The due date for data transmission is 30 June, i.e. three months after their publication in Statistics Estonia's database. Microdata from the survey are kept in the data servers at Statistics Estonia and are not publicly available. The results of the survey are published only as aggregated data. Aggregated data are transmitted to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UN Tourism upon request.

The metadata related to the statistical activity were viewed 123 times (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024). This figure does not represent the number of viewers, as the metadata may have been viewed multiple times by a single user.

Eurostat’s methodological manual: Methodological manual for tourism statistics.

The Tourism survey follows this manual as far as possible. The methodology is also described in the legal acts (see "Legal acts and other agreements") and compliance with those is mandatory.

This statistical activity is guided by the European Statistics Code of Practice (revised edition 2017).

The quality and metadata report submitted to Eurostat.

To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the EFQM Excellence Model and the requirements in section 7 “Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process; this information can take many forms, including feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

The main commissioner of the survey is the statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat) and it is conducted internationally. The data of the survey are also used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UN Tourism.

The data and indicators calculated on the basis thereof are used by public sector institutions such as Eesti Pank, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Finance, the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS), and Tallinn City Government. Media outlets are also interested in the data.

Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. Surveys conducted at least once a year target both the existing and potential consumers of statistics. All results are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section User surveys.
The survey referred to does not concern a specific statistical activity but is a general satisfaction survey.

Information on user satisfaction can also be obtained through user feedback, which has been mostly positive.

The preparation of the survey and the collection of data are based on the regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council (see "Legal acts and other agreements"). The data are complete and comply in particular with the data requirements laid down in Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

All required data have been collected, calculated, and transmitted to Eurostat (incl. microdata). Not all data are published in Statistics Estonia's database, partly due to confidentiality reasons. We publish the main indicators according to the needs of users; for example, data on domestic trips are also published by county.

All required indicators have been collected and calculated (completeness 100%).

The type of survey and the data collection methods ensure sufficient accuracy.

Sometimes respondents have difficulties remembering expenditures made during the trip. Respondents are interviewed about the trips which ended in the previous month(s) and due to the width of the time range it is not certain that all trips are included. This can lead to the underestimation of trips and expenses.
When different modes of transport were used there can be the problem of choosing main means of transport.
The questions about the participation in tourism in the previous year are asked in January. This can lead to error due to the memory effect.

The error due to probability sampling is estimated for more important indicators.

The coefficient of variation, or relative standard error, is published in the quality report submitted to Eurostat.

Coefficient of variation:
participation in tourism for personal purposes: number of residents, aged 15 or over, having made at least 1 trip of at least 1 overnight stay (all age groups) – 5.67%;
participation in tourism for personal purposes: number of residents, aged 65 or over, having made at least 1 trip of at least 1 overnight stay – 18.28%;
tourism trips: total number of trips – 1.22%;
domestic trips – 1.43%;
outbound trips – 1.34%;
private/personal trips – 1.49%;
professional/business trips – 6.6%;
domestic trips spent at rented accommodation – 2.93%;
domestic trips spent at non-rented accommodation – 3.9%;
tourism trips: total expenditure, excluding durables and valuable goods – 3.28%;
expenditure on accommodation – 4.61%.

Statistics Estonia aims to reduce the amount of non-sampling errors through continuous improvement of the methodology and the survey process, e.g. by adopting computer-assisted data collection which helps to prevent coding and typing errors.

The data are checked in three stages: initial check upon data entry during the interview (on the laptop), secondary check of newly received data at the office, and finally data cleaning.
Data entry mistakes have decreased thanks to the continuing development of primary logic checks in the data entry program.
All extreme values are checked and dealt with individually.

The frame is a list of permanent residents of Estonia aged 15 or over, compiled on the basis of the 2011 Population and Housing Census and the Population Register.

Coverage error is not measured, but since the frame is based on register data, under- or over-coverage of the survey is expected to be minimal.

Measurement errors may arise from the questionnaire (its wording, design, etc.), the respondents, the interviewers, and the data collection method. While it is impossible to completely avoid this type of errors in social surveys, Statistics Estonia has tried to reduce their occurrence as much as possible.

An effort is made to avoid measurement errors through multi-stage control procedures. There is no information on major measurement errors.
The questionnaire is carefully designed, in electronic format, and includes a number of arithmetic and logical checks. Where possible, the questionnaire is prefilled with administrative data.

Unit non-response for Trips dataset and unit non-response rate are calculated on an annual basis.

Due to the use of arithmetic and logical checks and classifications in data collection and processing, the occurrence of processing errors in the data is minimal. Data validation occurs in two stages: an initial check during the interview with automated validation controls, followed by data cleaning using predefined validation formulas. Weighting and imputations are performed using R scripts according to the methodology developed. Weighting and imputations are performed once a quarter.

Errors caused by weighting methods are minimised and the principles of the methodology developed are followed. Weighting is carried out separately for domestic and outbound trips, and all months are weighted separately as well. The final stage of weighting is calibration.

Quarterly data are published 90 days after the end of the reference quarter (T + 90 days), yearly data are published 180 days after the end of the reference year (T + 180 days).

The data are published once, three/six months after the end of the reference period.

The data are published once, three/six months after the end of the reference period.

The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar.

100% of the data has been published on time (as announced in the release calendar).

In Estonia, the data on overnight domestic trips of residents by primary destination are comparable across counties.

The data are comparable with the data from other European Union countries.

In 2014, the data were collected by using telephone interviews (CATI). From 2015 onwards, the data were collected by telephone (CATI) and computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI).

Since 2019, the data are collected by CATI, CAPI, and computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI). From 2021 onwards, the data are collected by computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) and by telephone interviews (CATI).

The different data collection methods have not caused major changes in the time series, but the different survey methods may have an impact on the comparability of data over time.

Overnight domestic and outbound trips of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip, organisation of trip, primary destination and duration of trip – from 2006. There have been no breaks in the time series, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

Number of nights of Estonian residents spent on domestic and outbound trips by type of accommodation – from 2006. There have been no breaks in the time series, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

Overnight domestic trips of Estonian residents by primary destination – from 2006. There have been no breaks in the time series, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

Expenditure on overnight domestic trips of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip – from 2006. There have been no breaks in the time series, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

Overnight outbound trips of Estonian residents by country of destination – from 2007. There have been no breaks in the time series, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

Expenditure on overnight outbound trips of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip – from 2015. There have been no breaks in the time series, which means that the number of observation periods in the last unbroken time series equals the number of all observation periods.

Discontinued datasets:

TU52: Overnight domestic trips of Estonian residents by organisation of trip (2006–2014, quarters);

TU62: Outbound overnight trips of Estonian residents by organisation of trip (2006–2014, quarters);

TU55: Number of nights of Estonian residents spent on domestic trips by type of accommodation (2006–2011, quarters);

TU65: Number of nights of Estonian residents spent on outbound trips by type of accommodation (2006–2011, quarters);

TU53: Overnight domestic trips of Estonian residents by primary destination (2006–2023);

TU61: Outbound overnight trips of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip (2006–2023);

TU64: Outbound overnight trips of Estonian residents by duration of trip (2006–2023);

TU651: Number of nights of Estonian residents spent on outbound trips by type of accommodation (2006–2023);

TU66: Expenditure on an outbound overnight trip of Estonian residents by main purpose of trip (2006–2014, quarters).

The definitions of accommodation establishments in the Accommodation activity and Tourism surveys are coherent.

Quarterly and annual data tables are coherent, annual data tables are obtained by summing quarterly data.

Not applicable as not directly used in national accounts.

The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent. The internal consistency of the data is ensured by the use of a common methodology for data collection and data aggregation.

In order to reduce costs, all holdings have been given the option of submitting their data electronically.

To reduce the burden, the production of outputs is automated.

The Tourism survey is part of the statistical programme's subfield "Tourism, accommodation and food service", which had an estimated cost of €536,000 in the 2024 statistical programme.

The data revision policy and notification of corrections are described on Statistics Estonia's website in the section Principles of dissemination of official statistics.

The published data may be revised if the methodology is modified, errors are discovered, new or better data become available.

There are no regular revisions.

Not applied

The Tourism survey sample is drawn up based on the population statistical register, while contact details are obtained from the Population Register.

The individuals in the frame are divided into three strata:
- five larger counties + the capital (Tallinn, Harju county, Ida-Viru county, Lääne-Viru county, Pärnu county, Tartu county);
- small counties (Jõgeva county, Järva county, Lääne county, Põlva county, Rapla county, Saare county, Valga county, Viljandi county, Võru county);
- Hiiu county.

The population includes persons aged 15 and older. The sample includes 10,000 persons per year and 2,500 persons per quarter. The sampling method is stratified simple random sampling by region of place of residence.

The data on a person’s highest level of education completed according to ISCED 2011 (International Standard Classification of Education) are received from Statistics Estonia’s population base, which contains education data from several national registers.

Since 2016, the survey has been conducted every month. Questions concerning overnight outbound trips refer to trips completed in the previous two months, and questions concerning overnight domestic trips refer to trips completed in the previous month.

Questions concerning day trips (without overnight stay) also refer to the previous month.

Before the survey starts, a notification is sent to all the people in the sample, explaining the purpose of the survey and how they will be contacted. The notification is sent to the sample person at the email address indicated in the Population Register. If no email address is available, a letter is sent by post to the address in the Population Register.

In 2014, data in this survey were collected through a telephone interview (CATI). Since 2015, data are collected through a phone interview (CATI) and computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI).
Since 2019, data have also been collected via an online questionnaire (CAWI). Since 2021, the questionnaire can be completed by telephone (CATI) and online (CAWI).

In this survey, data are collected via
- an online questionnaire in the first week of each month,
- a telephone interview (for best service, the survey interview call is recorded) starting from the second week of the month. Since 2022, data are also collected via a telephone interview during the first week of the month from respondents whose email address is unknown.

The Survey Fieldwork Information System (VVIS) is used to manage and monitor data collection. The questionnaires have been designed for independent completion in a web environment and include instructions and checks. The questionnaires and information about data submission are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section Questionnaires. The data are collected with the monthly official statistical questionnaire “Tourism survey”. The 2024 questionnaire is available here

The survey can be completed in either Estonian or Russian.

The questionnaire includes both hard and soft checks.
Hard check – a situation where the data are illogical or mandatory information is missing and the errors must definitely be corrected. The respondent cannot proceed in the questionnaire before doing so.
Soft check – a situation where the error is more of a warning. Such errors need to be reviewed.

If respondents have any questions when filling in the questionnaire, they can contact customer support. For this reason, customer support and the data collection team receive training before the survey begins, during which the content of the survey is discussed and the questionnaire is reviewed together.

Input data are checked and, if necessary, revised in accordance with the rules laid down. The calculated statistics are checked for compliance with quality requirements: data are compared with those of previous periods, the internal coherence, population coverage and response rate are checked.

In the case of missing or unreliable data, estimate imputation based on established regulations will be used. In the Tourism survey, expenditure on trips, disposable income of household and the respondent's level of education are imputed. Regression imputation is mainly used. The hot-deck method is used to impute disposable income of household.

In the tourism survey, individual weights and trip weights are calculated, which are used to obtain estimates for the population. Individual weights are calculated in three stages:
- calculation of design weights, which indicate how many members of the population each individual in the sample represents;
- compensation for loss, which divides the design weight by the response probability;
- calibration, which adjusts the loss-compensated weights so that the sum of the weights reflects the actual numbers in the population in terms of sex and age distribution.

Individual weight is used to calculate trip weight. The number of trips and whether they were personal or work-related must be taken into account.

Variables which were not collected but which are necessary for producing the output are calculated or obtained from registers. New variables are calculated by applying arithmetic conversion to already existing variables. This may be done repeatedly, the derived variable may, in turn, be based on previously derived new variables.

Microdata are aggregated to the level necessary for analysis. This includes aggregating the data according to the classification, and calculating various statistical measures, e.g. average, median, dispersion, etc.

The collected data are converted into statistical output. This includes calculating additional indicators.

Imputation rates in 2023:
income – 36%;
total expenditure – 5%;
F24 expenditure on transport – 17%;
F25 expenditure on accommodation – 30%;
F26 expenditure on food and drinks – 20%;
F27 other expenditure – 14%;
F28 expenditure on durables and valuable goods – 27%.

The imputation rate of expenditure on durables varies greatly from year to year due to the low number of values and it can be quite high due to the questionnaire. Expenditure on durables is part of the sum of other expenditure and it is asked only if the sum of other expenditure exceeds €300. In many cases respondents do not know the amount spent on durables or the specification of durables seems to be difficult.

Not applied

Not applied

Since 2023, the previous statistical activities "Tourism survey" and "Travelling of Estonian residents" have been treated as one statistical activity.

The Tourism survey is part of the statistical programme's subfield "Tourism, accommodation and food service".

Since 28 June 2024, annual and quarterly data on the travelling of Estonian residents are published in separate tables. The changes mainly affect those who use the data via machine-to-machine interface. Annual data from previous data tables are moved to new tables.