According to Statistics Estonia, in 2012, 2.8 million domestic and foreign tourists stayed in Estonian accommodation establishments, which is 4% more than the year earlier. Compared to 2011, the number of foreign tourists increased by 4% and the number of domestic tourists by 5%.
As in previous years, foreign tourists accounted for two thirds of the total number of tourists. The neighbouring countries Finland, Russia and Latvia are the largest tourism partner countries of Estonia – 64% of all foreign tourists that used the services of accommodation establishments arrived from those countries. Compared to 2011, the number of tourists arriving from Russia and Latvia increased by 31% and 18%, respectively.
The number of tourists from Finland, which showed a downward trend in most months of the year, fell 1% (by 11,000 tourists) in 2012 as a whole. Fewer tourists than in 2011 arrived from Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway, Italy and Poland. At the same time, the number of tourists from Asian and American countries and Australia staying in accommodation establishments increased compared to 2011.
In 2012, 966,000 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which is 5% more than in 2011 and 2% more than in 2008, the record year of domestic tourism. Domestic tourists preferred the accommodation establishments of Southern Estonia, with 30% of all accommodated domestic tourists staying there; and also the accommodation establishments of Western and Northern Estonia, with each accounting for 26% of domestic tourists. The number of domestic tourists increased the most (11%) in the accommodation establishments of Northern Estonia.
In December, 131,000 foreign and 78,000 domestic tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which is respectively 5% and 9% more than in December 2011. 756 accommodation establishments with 17,000 rooms and 38,000 bed-places were available for tourists. The room occupancy rate was 40% and the bed occupancy rate was 34%. The average cost of a guest night in an accommodation establishment was 31 euros and it was one euro more expensive than in December 2011.
| Indicator | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of tourists | 2 147 133 | 2 401 763 | 2 725 937 | 2 839 895 |
| residents of Estonia | 766 593 | 837 811 | 918 018 | 966 376 |
| foreign visitors | 1 380 540 | 1 563 952 | 1 807 919 | 1 873 519 |
| Number of nights spent | 4 122 526 | 4 700 680 | 5 399 392 | 5 544 537 |
| residents of Estonia | 1 381 830 | 1 496 959 | 1 650 527 | 1 721 498 |
| foreign visitors | 2 740 696 | 3 203 721 | 3 748 865 | 3 823 039 |
| Average cost of a guest night, euros | 28 | 27 | 29 | 31 |
* The data for 2012 are preliminary.