In May, the number of foreign tourists grew but was still below the level of 2019
According to Statistics Estonia, 265,000 tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in May 2023, which is 7% more than in May last year. The number of foreign tourists increased, but there were fewer domestic tourists.
Helga Laurmaa, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that 141,000 foreign tourists were accommodated in Estonia in May. “The number of foreign tourists did not yet reach the pre-pandemic level as it was nearly a third smaller than in May 2019. But compared with May 2022, the number of foreign tourists increased by 21%,” added Laurmaa. The number of domestic tourists decreased for the second month in a row – it was down 5% in April and 6% in May, compared with the corresponding month of last year. On the other hand, there were 12% more domestic tourists than in May 2019.
Compared with May 2022, there were more tourists from many European countries as well as from countries outside of Europe. 60,000 tourists from Finland and roughly 19,000 tourists from Latvia were accommodated. The number of arrivals from both countries was higher than in May last year. Compared with May 2022, there were also more accommodated tourists from Germany, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the USA, Poland, and Asian countries. 72% of the foreign tourists were on holiday and 22% were travelling on business. 73% of the foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in Harju county, followed by Pärnu (10%), Tartu (7%), Saare (3%) and Ida-Viru (2%) counties. Lääne, Lääne-Viru, Valga, Viljandi and Võru counties each accommodated 1% of the foreign tourists. Foreign tourists spent a total of 287,000 nights in Estonia.
In May, nearly 124,000 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments. 64% of them were on holiday and 27% were on business trips. The largest share (more than a third) of domestic tourists was accommodated in Harju county, 13% in Pärnu county, 10% in Ida-Viru county, and 9% in Tartu county. 6% of domestic tourists stayed overnight in Saare county, 5% in Lääne-Viru county and 5% in Valga county. In total, domestic tourists spent nearly 209,000 nights in accommodation establishments.
In May, 1,063 accommodation establishments served visitors in Estonia. There were 22,000 rooms and 52,000 bed places available for guests. The room occupancy rate was 44%. The average cost of a guest night was 49 euros per person, which is 6 euros more than in May 2022 and also 6 euros more than in May 2019. The average cost of a guest night increased by 14% year on year. The average cost of an overnight stay per person was 55 euros in Harju county, 52 euros in Lääne-Viru county, 49 euros in Tartu county, 45 euros in Ida-Viru county, 41 euros in Pärnu county and 34 euros in Saare county. The average cost of overnight accommodation grew in most counties.
Statistics Estonia collects and analyses accommodation data for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with the aim to determine the economic situation in Estonia.
See also the dedicated section on tourism, accommodation and food service and the tourism industry dashboard.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.
For further information:
Helen Maria Raadik
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181
press [at] stat.ee