In March, Estonian tourist accommodation businesses have seen an increase in the number of both internal and foreign tourists, as more than 192 000 guests stayed there. The data collected by Statistics Estonia does not include war refugees from Ukraine, who have arrived in Estonia in tens of thousands.
On Monday, May 9, according to a press release from Statistics Estonia, the increase compared to March 2021 was 276% higher.
Helga Laurmaa, analyst at Statistics Estonia, commented that nearly 77,000 foreign tourists and 116,000 domestic tourists were accommodated in Estonia in March. «The number of foreign tourists did not yet reach the pre-pandemic level, but it was only 38% smaller than that. In March 2021, there were just 8,700 foreign tourists. The number of domestic tourists set a new record, just like in January this year,» explained Laurmaa.
For 68% of domestic tourists, the purpose of their trip was holidays, and 23% were on business trips. The biggest share of domestic tourists (34%) were accommodated in Harju county. 15% of domestic tourists stayed overnight in Pärnu county, 14% in Tartu county and 10% in Ida-Viru county. Lääne-Viru, Saare and Valga counties each accommodated 5% of domestic tourists. Domestic tourists spent a total of 197,000 nights in accommodation establishments.
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Compared to March 2021, there was an increase in the number of tourists from European countries as well as from countries outside of Europe. The very low reference base was still one of the reasons for the significant change. The biggest number of tourists came from Finland (nearly 23,000) and Latvia (over 16,000). There were nearly 6,000 tourists from Russia, 3,000 tourists from Lithuania and 3,000 tourists from Germany. 72% of the foreign tourists were accommodated in Harju county, followed by Pärnu (11%), Tartu (7%) and Ida-Viru (4%) counties. Saare and Valga counties each accommodated 1% of foreign tourists. Foreign tourists spent a total of 157,000 nights in Estonia.
In March, there were 909 accommodation establishments open for tourists in Estonia, which is 12 establishments more than in March last year. There were 19,900 rooms and 45,700 bed places available for guests. The room occupancy rate was 34%. The average cost of a guest night was 37 euros per person, which is 11 euros more than in March 2021 and one euro higher than in March 2019. The average cost of an overnight stay per person was 44 euros in Lääne-Viru county, 41 euros in Tartu county, 39 euros in Valga county, 38 euros in Harju and Ida-Viru counties, and 33 euros in Pärnu county, according to the press release.
Estonian hotels see rise in tourist numbers in spring
