At the beginning of the year the number of tourists in accommodation establishments increased
According to Statistics Estonia, in the 1st quarter of 2010, 384,000 foreign and domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 7% more than in the same period of the previous year.
In the 1st quarter 161,000 domestic and 223,000 foreign tourists used the services of accommodation establishments. More than half of foreign tourists staying in accommodation establishments came from Finland. Compared to the same period of the previous year, the number of tourists from Finland increased 11%. 35,000 tourists from Russia used the services of accommodation establishments, which was 51% more than in the 1st quarter a year ago. Among the Russian tourists New Year tours and international winter sports events were popular.
68% of accommodated foreign tourists arrived in Estonia for holidays, 23% was on a business trip and the rest had some other reason for visiting Estonia. Compared to the 1st quarter of the previous year, more foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in both Tallinn and Tartu, as well as in many counties. 80% of foreign visitors stayed in accommodation establishments of Tallinn, 6% in Pärnu and 4% in Tartu.
42% of customers of the accommodation establishments were domestic tourists. Compared to the same period of the previous year, 4,000 domestic tourists less used the services of accommodation establishments. The share of domestic tourists in accommodation establishments decreased 4 percentage points compared to the 1st quarter of the previous year. A quarter of domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments of Harju county and Tallinn, 13% stayed in accommodation establishments of Valga county. 52% of domestic tourists were on a holiday trip and 29% on a business trip.
In March, 137,000 tourists stayed in accommodation establishments of Estonia, 59% of them were foreign tourists. 738 accommodation establishments with 16,200 rooms and 35,300 beds were available for tourists. The room occupancy rate was 32% and it was three percentage points more than in March 2009. The average cost of a guest night in an accommodation establishment was 399 kroons and it was 6% cheaper compared to March 2009.
| Accommodation | Total | Northern Estonia | North-eastern Estonia | Central Estonia | Western Estonia | Southern Estonia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation establishments | 738 | 163 | 47 | 66 | 195 | 267 |
| Rooms | 16 174 | 7 852 | 957 | 856 | 3 304 | 3 205 |
| Beds | 35 340 | 16 171 | 1 979 | 2 046 | 7 459 | 7 685 |
| Room occupancy rate, % | 32 | 38 | 35 | 20 | 31 | 23 |
| Bed occupancy rate, % | 25 | 29 | 31 | 16 | 25 | 17 |
| Tourists accommodated | 136 550 | 79 934 | 8 531 | 5 719 | 20 955 | 21 411 |
| Nights spent | 271 450 | 143 883 | 18 779 | 10 329 | 58 312 | 40 147 |
| residents of Estonia | 97 825 | 21 554 | 11 897 | 8 239 | 25 522 | 30 613 |
| foreign visitors | 173 625 | 122 329 | 6 882 | 2 090 | 32 790 | 9 534 |
| Average cost of a guest night, kroons | 399 | 460 | 382 | 349 | 304 | 340 |