Domestic tourists kept Estonian accommodation establishments afloat
According to Statistics Estonia, 158,000 tourists stayed in Estonian accommodation establishments in October, with 284,000 nights spent in total. There was a 45% decrease in the number of visitors compared to October 2019.
According to Helga Laurmaa, analyst at Statistics Estonia, the majority of the customers of accommodation establishments were domestic tourists and just over a tenth were foreign tourists. “The number of foreign tourists staying in Estonia has been significantly reduced by the second wave of the coronavirus and the restrictions imposed by countries which have severely affected the accommodation sector,” explained Laurmaa.
139,000 domestic tourists were served by accommodation establishments and they spent a total of 230,000 nights. Year on year, there were 20% more domestic tourists and their number of nights spent rose by 16%. The largest share of domestic tourists were accommodated in Harju county, followed by Pärnu, Tartu and Ida-Viru counties.
The number of accommodated foreign tourists was 19,000, which is 89% less than in October 2019. There were 5,000 tourists from Finland, 2,500 tourists from Latvia and 1,300 tourists from Germany. Foreign tourists spent a total of 54,000 nights in Estonia – this is 85% less than last year. The biggest share of the foreign tourists were accommodated in Harju county, followed by Pärnu, Tartu and Ida-Viru counties.
There were 975 accommodation establishments open for tourists in October. The average cost of a guest night was 32 euros, meaning that an overnight stay was, on average, 6 euros cheaper than in October 2019. The average cost of a guest night was 38 euros in Tartu county, 32 euros in Harju and Pärnu counties and 31 euros in Ida-Viru county.
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.
More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.
For further information:
Kadri Kütt
Media Relations Manager
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 625 9181