According to Estonian tourism statistics, about 2 million tourists visit the country annually. The data reveal that 498 domestic and foreign tourists spent their holidays in Estonian hotels in July 2017. This is an increase of 2% compared to last year.
However, due to increases in house prices, the number of foreign tourists was smaller than the number of domestic tourists. In July 2017, the average price per night in a local hotel was about 38 euros, which is 4 euro more than in the same period last year, which does not boost Estonian tourism much.
The highest average price was recorded in Harjumaa County – 46 euros per night. The most expensive city was Pärnu with prices of 40 euros per night.
The most popular destination for foreign tourists this summer was Tallinn – it was visited by about 60% of foreign visitors. The most popular place for domestic tourists was the Harjumaa county on the Gulf of Finland coast.
More Russians, Fewer Finns
The Estonian tourism statistics showed that a tenth of tourists visiting Estonia are residents of Russia. The number of tourists from Russia who stayed in Estonian hotels in July this year increased by 21%. This is the largest increase in comparison with increases from other countries. It is also interesting that 70% of Russian tourists in Estonia are residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, as reported.
On the other hand, there was a reduction in tourist traffic from Finland and Germany (9% and 4% respectively), while besides Russia, the inflow from Lithuania, Sweden, and the UK has increased.
Number of Asian Visitors Almost Tripled
According to the Enterprise Development Fund, in the last five years the number of overnight tourists from Asia to Estonian hotels has almost tripled.
“Such growth is exceptional for the Estonian tourism sector and indicates that investments in the Asian direction have been effective,” said the director of the tourism development centre of EAS Tarmo Mutso.
According to him, in the coming years the number of tourists from Asian countries will continue to increase. “In five years, the number of tourists from Asia could be at least three times higher than today,” he added.
Mutso also said that most Asian tourists come from Japan. At the same time, the number of Chinese tourists is also increasing. They usually come to Estonia for one day during their trips to Finland, without stopping there for the night.
“Thus, several hundred thousand tourists from Asia come to Estonia who are not reflected in the statistics of foreign tourists, as they do not stay overnight,” the expert noted.
Last year, tourists from Japan spent about 39,000 nights in hotels in Estonia. The number of overnight stays increased 2.4 times over five years. The number of overnight tourists from China increased 2.6 times to 25,000, while tourists from South Korea stayed overnight for 17,000 times – 4.5 times more than five years ago.