In 2013, a record number of tourists stayed in accommodation establishments
According to Statistics Estonia, 1.9 million foreign tourists and over a million domestic tourists used the services of accommodation establishments in 2013. The total number of tourists increased 5% compared to 2012.
As in previous years, foreign tourists accounted for nearly two thirds of the total number of tourists. In 2013, the number of foreign tourists who used the services of accommodation establishments increased by 4% compared to the previous year. 67% of the foreign tourists arrived from the neighbouring countries Latvia, Finland and Russia. The number of accommodated tourists from these countries increased by 5%, 8% and 14% respectively compared to the previous year. More tourists than in 2012 also arrived from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. The number of tourists from several European countries decreased. At the same time, the number of tourists from Asian countries staying in accommodation establishments increased more than a quarter compared to the previous year.
In 2013, the number of domestic tourists staying in accommodation establishments was over one million for the first time. There were 8% more domestic tourists than in 2012. More than a half of the domestic tourists were on a holiday trip and 28% on a business trip. The most preferred destination was Tallinn: 17% of the domestic tourists using the services of accommodation establishments stayed there. 11% of the domestic tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of Pärnu and 8% in those of Tartu.
In December 2013, 222,000 tourists – 140,000 foreign and 82,000 domestic tourists – stayed in accommodation establishments. Compared to December 2012, the number of foreign tourists increased 7% and the number of domestic tourists increased 4%. Nearly a half of the foreign tourists arrived from Finland, a quarter from Russia and 6% from Latvia. In December, 823 accommodation establishments offered services for tourists. 18,000 rooms and 39,000 beds were available for tourists. The room occupancy rate was 39% and the bed occupancy rate was 33%. The average cost of a guest night was 33 euros, which is two euros more than in December 2012.
| Indicator | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of tourists | 2 401 763 | 2 725 937 | 2 839 895 | 2 980 865 |
| residents of Estonia | 837 811 | 918 018 | 966 376 | 1 040 735 |
| foreign visitors | 1 563 952 | 1 807 919 | 1 873 519 | 1 940 130 |
| Number of nights spent | 4 700 680 | 5 399 392 | 5 544 537 | 5 734 033 |
| residents of Estonia | 1 496 959 | 1 650 527 | 1 721 498 | 1 824 707 |
| foreign visitors | 3 203 721 | 3 748 865 | 3 823 039 | 3 909 326 |
| Average cost of a guest night, euros | 27 | 29 | 31 | 32 |
* The data for 2013 are preliminary