In May, more tourists stayed in accommodation establishments than a year ago
According to Statistics Estonia, 297,000 domestic and foreign tourists stayed in Estonian accommodation establishments in May 2017, which is 6% more than in May 2016.
197,000 foreign tourists and 100,000 domestic tourists used the services of accommodation establishments; their numbers increased 3% and 13%, respectively, compared to May of the previous year. 59% of the foreign tourists who used accommodation services came from the neighbouring countries – 84,000 tourists came from Finland, 20,000 from Russia and 13,000 from Latvia. Compared to May 2016, the number of tourists from neighbouring countries increased 3%. The number of Finnish tourists in accommodation establishments fell 4% but the number of Russian and Latvian tourists increased 23% and 36%, respectively, compared to the same month of the previous year. Compared to May 2016, there was also an increase in the number of tourists arriving from Lithuania, the United Kingdom and the United States, while fewer tourists arrived from Sweden, Germany and Norway. 136,000 foreign tourists, or 69% of the foreign tourists who used accommodation services stayed in the accommodation establishments of Tallinn. The second most popular destination was Pärnu city, accounting for 9% of all accommodated foreign tourists, followed by Tartu city, which accounted for 7% of the accommodated foreign tourists. Ida-Viru county and Saare county both accounted for 3% of the foreign tourists who used accommodation services. 71% of the foreign tourists were on a holiday and 22% on a business trip.
One-third of the customers of accommodation establishments were domestic tourists. 59% of them were on a holiday and 30% on a business trip. 29% of the domestic tourists stayed in the accommodation establishments of Harju county, 12% in Pärnu county, 14% in Tartu county and 9% in Ida-Viru county.
In May, 1,130 accommodation establishments offered services for tourists. 21,000 rooms and 49,000 beds were available for tourists. Compared to May of the previous year, there were 22 additional accommodation establishments with more than 1,000 rooms and 3,000 beds. 46% of the rooms and 36% of the beds were occupied. The average cost of a guest night was 40 euros, i.e. two euros more than in the same month of the previous year. The average cost of a guest night was 49 euros in Harju county, 33 euros in Tartu county, 32 euros in Pärnu county and 30 euros in Ida-Viru county.
| Accommodation | Total | Northern Estonia | North-Eastern Estonia | Central Estonia | Western Estonia | Southern Estonia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation establishments | 1,130 | 220 | 59 | 121 | 367 | 363 |
| Rooms | 21,197 | 8,559 | 1 258 | 1,714 | 5,292 | 4,374 |
| Beds | 48,979 | 18,451 | 2 947 | 4,280 | 12,356 | 10 945 |
| Room occupancy rate, % | 46 | 64 | 39 | 21 | 35 | 34 |
| Bed occupancy rate, % | 36 | 53 | 30 | 17 | 28 | 25 |
| Tourists accommodated | 297,029 | 168,917 | 15,662 | 12,524 | 52,418 | 47,508 |
| Nights spent | 540,861 | 300,328 | 27,182 | 21,997 | 107,804 | 83,550 |
| residents of Estonia | 166,720 | 48,884 | 14,141 | 14,520 | 41,679 | 47,496 |
| foreign visitors | 374,141 | 251,444 | 13,041 | 7 477 | 66,125 | 36,054 |
| Average cost of a guest night, euros | 40 | 49 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 29 |
The statistics are based on the questionnaire “Accommodation”, the submission deadline of which was 10 June 2017. Statistics Estonia published the monthly summary in 17 working days. For the statistical activity “Accommodation”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for conducting the statistical activity.