Lots of tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in the 1st half of the year
According to Statistics Estonia, in the 1st half of 2011, nearly 1.2 million foreign and domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 15% more than in the same period of the previous year. The number of tourists in accommodation establishments exceeded also the first half-year result of 2008, i.e. the best year of the past decade, by 10%.
Nearly 800,000 foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments which was 17% more than in the first half of the previous year and one fifth more than in the first half of 2008 i.e. the best year of the past decade. In the first half-year, the number of foreign tourists increased in all main tourist regions in Northern, Western and Southern Estonia. The most popular destination was continually Tallinn, where three quarters of foreign tourists, who used the services of accommodation establishments, stayed. Compared to the first half of the previous year, more tourists arrived from all main tourism partner countries of Estonia – from Finland, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Latvia and the United Kingdom. The number of tourists from the United Kingdom and Russia increased the most (90% and 50%, respectively).
400,000 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments which is 11% more than in the first half of the previous year but less than in the same period in 2007 and 2008. For domestic tourists, the favourite destinations are continually Harju and Pärnu counties, but tourists also like to stay in the accommodation establishments of Tartu and Ida-Viru counties.
This June, 1,074 accommodation establishments offered services for tourists. 294,000 domestic and foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments which is 17% more than in June of the previous year. 20,600 rooms and 46,900 beds were available for tourists. The room occupancy rate was 50% and the bed occupancy rate was 41%. The room occupancy rate was higher than the average in the accommodation establishments of Tallinn, Pärnu and Tartu.
The average cost of a guest night in an accommodation establishment was 29 euros being 8% more expensive compared to June 2010 but 3 euros cheaper than in June 2008.
| Accommodation | Total | Northern Estonia | North-eastern Estonia | Central Estonia | Western Estonia | Southern Estonia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation establishments | 1 074 | 201 | 61 | 105 | 380 | 327 |
| Rooms | 20 596 | 8 285 | 1 270 | 1 260 | 5 577 | 4 204 |
| Beds | 46 914 | 17 522 | 2 868 | 3 260 | 13 382 | 9 882 |
| Room occupancy rate, % | 50 | 70 | 36 | 31 | 39 | 36 |
| Bed occupancy rate, % | 41 | 58 | 33 | 24 | 33 | 27 |
| Tourists accommodated | 294 283 | 166 010 | 12 951 | 13 503 | 60 169 | 41 650 |
| Nights spent | 570 241 | 304 027 | 28 135 | 23 914 | 133 428 | 80 737 |
| residents of Estonia | 170 473 | 38 799 | 16 327 | 17 174 | 44 166 | 54 007 |
| foreign visitors | 399 768 | 265 228 | 11 808 | 6 740 | 89 262 | 26 730 |
| Average cost of a guest night, euros | 29 | 33 | 24 | 20 | 27 | 22 |
Today, on 10 August, at 12:00, Enterprise Estonia and Statistics Estonia hold a joint press conference in the Great Guild Hall experimentarium of the Estonian History Museum (17 Pikk St., Tallinn) focusing on the developments of Estonian tourism sector. For further information about the press conference please turn to Mr. Rivo Saarna, e-mail rivo.saarna [at] eurorscg.ee, tel: +372 50 65 768.