Statistics Estonia has recently revealed that around 226,000 tourists stayed in Estonian accommodation establishments in March of this year, thus marking an increase of 18 per cent compared to March 2022.
According to Statistics Estonia, apart from an increase in tourists, the average cost of a night stay also saw an increase. The cost for an overnight stay in Estonian accommodation establishments increased by 15 per cent year on year, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Commenting on these data, the main analyst at Statistics Estonia, Helga Laurmaa, said that during March of this year, there were more foreign and local tourists staying in Estonia, with a total of 101,700 foreign and 124,500 domestic tourists.
She also pointed out that regarding foreign tourists, there was an increase of 33 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“Year on year, there were 33 per cent more foreign tourists. Their number did not yet reach the pre-pandemic level, as it was 18 per cent lower than in March 2019. The number of domestic tourists rose by eight per cent year on year,” Laurmaa noted.
Based on Statistics Estonia, the largest group of tourists staying in Estonian facilities consisted of Finnish citizens, with approximately 40,000, followed by Latvians, with a total of 19,000 tourists.
These figures show that the number of arrivals from these two countries was higher than in March of last year. At the same time, during March 2023, there was also an increase in the number of accommodated tourists coming from Germany, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, Poland, and Asian countries.
In addition, the statistics also show that a total of 69 per cent of foreign tourists were on vacation, while 26 per cent were travelling for work.
Moreover, it has been disclosed that 76 per cent of foreign tourists were registered in the accommodation facilities of Harju county.
Next comes Pärnu county with 11 per cent, Tartu with six per cent, and Ida-Viru with two per cent. Meanwhile, Lääne-Viru, Saare, Valga and Võru counties each hosted one per cent of foreign tourists. These tourists have spent a total of 216,000 nights in Estonia.
Further data from Statistics of Estonia reveal that for 67 per cent of domestic tourists, the purpose of the trip was vacation, while 24 per cent were on business trips. Thus, 35 per cent of them were accommodated in Harju county, 14 per cent in Pärnu county, 11 per cent in Tartu county, and ten per cent in Ida-Viru county.
On the other hand, a smaller percentage of domestic tourists, six per cent, stayed overnight in Valga county, and five per cent stayed in Lääne-Viru and Saare counties, respectively. As a result, domestic tourists spent a total of 212,000 nights in accommodation establishments.
The room occupancy rate in accommodation facilities in Estonia during March 2023 was 40 per cent, and the average cost of a guest night was €43 per person, thus representing an increase of six euros compared to the same month last year and seven euros compared to 2019.
Regarding the average cost of one night’s stay per person, Estonian Statistics revealed that in Lääne-Viru county it was €51, in Tartu county €48, in Harju county €45, in Ida-Viru county €44 and in Pärnu county €36.