Record number of domestic tourists accommodated in 2022
According to Statistics Estonia, in 2022, Estonian accommodation establishments served over 3 million tourists, which is 52% more than in 2021. There was a rise in the number of both foreign* and domestic tourists.
Helga Laurmaa, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists and 1.8 million domestic tourists were accommodated in Estonia last year. “Compared with 2021, there were 161% more foreign tourists. Their number did not yet reach pre-pandemic levels, as it was comparable to the figure for 2005. But, for the second year in a row, the number of domestic tourists set a new record,” added Laurmaa.
The biggest number of foreign visitors came from Finland (589,000) and Latvia (204,000). Compared with 2021, the number of accommodated tourists from these two neighbouring countries increased, respectively, by 310% and 130%. Tourist arrivals from Finland have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, but the number of tourists from Latvia was 12% bigger. Tourist arrivals from more distant countries were higher than in 2021 but lower than in 2019.
In December 2022, the number of tourists accommodated was 257,000, which is a third more than in December 2021. There were almost 121,000 foreign tourists and about 137,000 domestic tourists. Year on year, the number of foreign tourists increased more (by 69%); the number of domestic tourists grew by 11%. 83% of the foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in Harju county, followed by Pärnu (8%) and Tartu (4%) counties. Foreign tourists spent almost 242,000 nights in Estonia in total. The largest share of domestic tourists (34%) was accommodated in Harju county. 14% of domestic tourists stayed overnight in Pärnu county, 12% in Tartu county, 10% in Ida-Viru county, and 6% in Valga county. Domestic tourists spent a total of 219,000 nights in accommodation establishments.
In December, there were 944 accommodation establishments with five or more bed places open for tourists – this is 10 fewer than in November. There were 21,000 rooms and 48,000 bed places available for guests. The room occupancy rate was 40%. The average cost of a guest night was 46 euros per person, which is one euro more than in November. The average cost of an overnight stay per person was 51 euros in Tartu county, 49 euros in Harju and Ida-Viru counties, 40 euros in Valga county, and 39 euros in Pärnu county.
* The number of foreign tourists does not include refugees from Ukraine.
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.
For further information:
Helen Maria Raadik
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181
press [at] stat.ee