According to Statistics Estonia, in October 2022, Estonian accommodation establishments served nearly 270,000 tourists, which is 19% more than in October last year. The number of foreign tourists* rose, while the number of domestic tourists fell.
Helga Laurmaa, the analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that 131,000 foreign and 139,000 domestic tourists were accommodated in Estonia. “The number of foreign tourists did not yet return to pre-corona crisis levels but it was comparable to the figures for October 2010 and 2011. However, the number of foreign tourists was 58% higher than in October 2021. Domestic tourism did not set a new record, with 4% fewer domestic tourists than in October last year,” added Laurmaa.
Compared with October 2021, Estonian establishments accommodated more tourists from many European countries as well as from countries outside of Europe. The biggest number of foreign visitors came from Finland (58,000) and Latvia (19,000). The number of tourists from these neighboring countries rose, respectively, by 88% and 83% compared with October last year. Tourist arrivals from Finland did not reach pre-pandemic levels, but the number of Latvian tourists was 31% higher. The number of tourists arriving from further away – Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, and Asian countries – was much smaller than in 2019. 77% of the foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in Harju county, followed by Pärnu (10%), Tartu (5%), and Saare (2%) counties. Foreign tourists spent a total of 272,000 nights in Estonia.
For 69% of domestic tourists, the purpose of their trip was a holiday, and 24% were on business trips. The largest share of domestic tourists (32%) was accommodated in Harju county, 14% in Pärnu county, 12% in Tartu county, 10% in Ida-Viru county, and 8% in Saare county. Domestic tourists spent a total of 230,000 nights in accommodation establishments.
In October, 973 accommodation establishments with five or more beds places served visitors – this is 123 fewer than in September. There were 21,000 rooms and 50,000 beds places available for guests. The room occupancy rate was 45%. The average cost of a guest night was 44 euros per person, which is one euro cheaper than in September. The average cost of an overnight stay per person was 47 euros in Harju county, 49 euros in Tartu county, 46 euros in Ida-Viru county, 43 euros in Saare county, and 37 euros in Pärnu county.
* The number of foreign tourists does not include refugees from Ukraine.
