Peak tourism season in 2023 was still below pre-crisis levels
According to Statistics Estonia, 1.25 million tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in the three summer months – June, July, August – of 2023, up by 1% from a year earlier but down by 12% from the summer of 2019. Compared with last summer, there were more foreign and fewer domestic tourists in accommodation establishments.
Helga Laurmaa, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that 609,000 foreign tourists were accommodated in Estonia in the three summer months of 2023. “Foreign arrivals did not yet reach the pre-crisis level of June-August 2019, but compared with the summer of 2022, the number of foreign tourists increased by 7%,” Laurmaa added. The number of domestic tourists was down by 4% compared with last year’s summer months. However, there were 16% more domestic tourists than in June to August 2019. During the high tourism season, the highest number of tourists staying in Estonian accommodation establishments arrived from Finland (265,000), accounting for 43% of foreign tourists. Compared with the year before the crisis, the share of Finnish tourists in the total number of foreign tourists has increased. The percentage of Latvian and Lithuanian tourists has also risen. The number of Russian tourists decreased by 92% compared with 2019.
In August 2023, more than 429,000 tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which is up by 2% from August 2022 and down by 11% in comparison with July 2023. Accommodation establishments hosted more foreign tourists and fewer domestic tourists than in August last year. 82% of the foreign tourists were on holiday and 14% were travelling on business. 69% of the foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in Harju county, followed by Pärnu (12%), Tartu (7%), Saare (4%), and Ida-Viru and Lääne-Viru(2%) counties. Foreign travellers spent a total of nearly 409,000 nights in Estonia. 225,000 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in August. 74% of them were on holiday and 14% were on business trips. The largest share of domestic tourists, 22%, was accommodated in Harju county, whereas 15% stayed in Pärnu county and 10% in Ida-Viru county. Lääne-Viru, Saare, and Tartu county each hosted 8% of the domestic tourists. In total, domestic tourists spent over 385,000 nights in accommodation establishments.
In August, 1,243 accommodation establishments served visitors in Estonia. There were 24,000 rooms and nearly 58,000 bed places available for guests. The room occupancy rate was 54%. The average cost of a guest night was 48 euros per person, which is 6 euros more than in August 2022 and 9 euros more than in August 2019. The average cost of a guest night increased by 14% year on year. The average cost of an overnight stay per person was 56 euros in Harju county, 48 euros in Pärnu county, 47 euros in Saare county, 42 euros in Tartu county, and 41 euros in Ida-Viru county. The average cost of overnight accommodation rose 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