In March, more tourists stayed in accommodation establishments than a year ago
According to Statistics Estonia, in March 2016, 212,400 domestic and foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 13% more than in March 2015. The number of both domestic and foreign tourists increased.
120, 900 foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 14% more than in March 2015. In March, 86,400 tourists or 71% of the foreign tourists arrived from neighbouring countries Finland, Russia and Latvia. Compared to March of the previous year, the number of tourists arriving from Latvia, Finland and Russia increased 48%, 19% and 4%, respectively. There was also an increase in the number of tourists arriving from several European and Asian countries. 75% of the foreign tourists preferred to stay in the accommodation establishments of Tallinn. 8% of the foreign tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of Pärnu city and 4% in Tartu city. In addition, 4% of the foreign tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of Ida-Viru county.
91,500 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 11% more than in March 2015. The number of nights spent by domestic tourists also increased by 11%, meaning that the duration of stay of domestic tourists remained at the last year’s level. 57% of the domestic tourists were on a holiday trip and 25% were on a business trip. 29% of the domestic tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of Harju county, 19% in Pärnu county, 12% in Ida-Viru county and 9% in Tartu county. Compared to March 2015, there was an increase in the number of domestic tourists staying in accommodation establishments in Harju, Pärnu and Ida-Viru counties. In Tartu county, the number of accommodated domestic tourists decreased 2%, while there was a 14% increase in the number of foreign tourists there.
In March, 895 accommodation establishments offered services for tourists. 18,000 rooms and 40,000 beds were available for tourists. 39% of the rooms and 31% of the beds were occupied. The average cost of a guest night was 33 euros or as much as in March a year earlier. The average cost of a guest night was 36 euros in Harju county, 31 euros in Tartu county and 27 euros in Pärnu county.
| Accommodation | Total | Northern Estonia | North-Eastern Estonia | Central Estonia | Western Estonia | Southern Estonia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation establishments | 895 | 186 | 58 | 102 | 247 | 302 |
| Rooms | 17 970 | 7 890 | 1 194 | 1 298 | 3 872 | 3 716 |
| Beds | 40 262 | 16 824 | 2 567 | 3 130 | 8 735 | 9 006 |
| Room occupancy rate, % | 39 | 49 | 41 | 23 | 36 | 25 |
| Bed occupancy rate, % | 31 | 41 | 36 | 17 | 30 | 19 |
| Tourists accommodated | 212 442 | 120 039 | 15 601 | 9 113 | 38 795 | 28 894 |
| Nights spent | 392 503 | 215 449 | 28 267 | 16 319 | 80 809 | 51 659 |
| residents of Estonia | 153 941 | 42 526 | 18 535 | 12 836 | 44 657 | 35 387 |
| foreign visitors | 238 562 | 172 923 | 9 732 | 3 483 | 36 152 | 16 272 |
| Average cost of a guest night, euros | 33 | 36 | 29 | 31 | 27 | 28 |
The statistics are based on the questionnaire “Accommodation”, the deadline of which was 10 April 2016. Statistics Estonia published the monthly summary in 22 working days.