In March, the number of tourists in accommodation establishments decreased
According to Statistics Estonia, 188,000 tourists used the services of accommodation establishments in March 2015, which is 3% fewer than in March 2014. The number of foreign tourists decreased and the number of domestic tourists increased.
106,000 foreign tourists used the services of accommodation establishments which was 9% fewer than in March 2014. The number of foreign tourists has decreased in all three months of the 1st quarter compared to the same month of the previous year. In March, the number of foreign tourists decreased mainly due to a drop in the number of tourists arriving from Russia and Finland (down 43% and 11%, respectively). Even the increasing number of tourists from several European countries was not able to compensate for this decrease. Compared to March 2014, there was an increase in the number of tourists arriving from other main tourism partner countries of Estonia: Latvia (7%), Sweden (18%), Lithuania (19%) and Germany (13%). The number of tourists from Asian countries increased by nearly a half.
44% of the clients of accommodation establishments were domestic tourists. In March, 82,000 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 5% more than in March of the previous year. 59% of the domestic tourists were on a holiday trip and 25% were on a business trip. A third of the domestic tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of Harju county, 16% in Pärnu county and 11% in Tartu county. More domestic tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of these counties than in March last year.
In March, 875 accommodation establishments offered services for tourists. 18,000 rooms and 40,000 beds were available for tourists. 37% of the rooms and 29% of the beds were occupied. The average cost of a guest night was 33 euros, which was 2 euros more expensive than in March 2014. The average cost of a guest night was higher than the Estonian average in Harju county, where it cost 38 euros. The average cost of a guest night was 25 euros in Pärnu county, 29 euros in Tartu county.
| Accommodation | Total | Northern Estonia | North-Eastern Estonia | Central Estonia | Western Estonia | Southern Estonia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation establishments | 875 | 178 | 50 | 92 | 240 | 315 |
| Rooms | 18 032 | 8 054 | 1 042 | 1 231 | 3 914 | 3 791 |
| Beds | 39 798 | 16 992 | 2 145 | 2 939 | 8 645 | 9 077 |
| Room occupancy rate, % | 37 | 50 | 34 | 20 | 31 | 22 |
| Bed occupancy rate, % | 29 | 38 | 29 | 16 | 26 | 17 |
| Tourists accommodated | 188 161 | 111 775 | 9 617 | 8 775 | 31 790 | 26 204 |
| Nights spent | 354 237 | 202 537 | 19 420 | 14 593 | 70 925 | 46 762 |
| residents of Estonia | 138 311 | 43 611 | 12 296 | 11 538 | 37 073 | 33 793 |
| foreign visitors | 215 926 | 158 926 | 7 124 | 3 055 | 33 852 | 12 969 |
| Average cost of a guest night, euros | 33 | 38 | 31 | 30 | 24 | 26 |
The statistics are based on the questionnaire “Accommodation”, the deadline of which was 10 April 2015. Statistics Estonia published the monthly summary in 19 working days.