The number of foreign tourists rose by 11 percent, while domestic tourists numbers fell, by 8 percent, on year to September.

Helga Laurmaa, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said: "153,000 foreign and 125,000 domestic tourists were accommodated in Estonia in September 2024. The number of domestic tourists fell for the third month in a row."

Nearly 46,000 Finnish tourists made up 30 percent of foreign visitors, with notable arrivals from Latvia (whose tourists made up 11 percent of the total), Germany (9 percent of the total), and Lithuania (5 percent), while German tourists saw the biggest increase, rising by 51 percent between September 2023 and September 2024.

Tourists from Finland and Latvia fell by 5 percent and 2 percent, respectively, with a 9 percent drop from Lithuania, Statistics Estonia reported.

The agency reported that in September 2024, 77 percent of foreign tourists said their purpose was a vacation, compared with 17 percent who said they were on business; most of these stayed in Harju County, the most populous part of Estonia and which includes Tallinn.

These made up 73 percent of the total, followed by Pärnu (Estonia's summer capital, at 10 percent), the second city, Tartu (7 percent), and Saaremaa, also a popular summer destination, where 3 percent of the total stayed.

As for domestic tourists, ie. Estonia citizens and residents staying inside their own country, 68 percent said they too were on vacation; 23 percent on business. Again, Harju County was the most stayed-in of Estonia's 15 counties for this demographic, though at a much smaller proportion, of 34 percent.

Next came Pärnu County (12 percent of the total), Tartu and Ida-Viru counties (9 percent each), and Saaremaa (7 percent).

Tourists of all kinds spent 513,000 nights in Estonian accommodation establishments in September 2024, with 212,000 night stays from domestic tourists, 302,000 from foreign tourists.

This was across 1,059 businesses making available 23,000 rooms, at a 47 percent occupancy rate, with an average nightly cost of €50, the latter figure a 4 percent rise on September 2023.

The average cost of an overnight stay per person was €55 in Tartu county, €54 in Harju county, €46 in Ida-Viru county, €45 in Pärnu county and €44 in Saare county.

September 2024 numbers still not back to pre-pandemic volumes

Helga Laurmaa said the number of accommodated tourists was still 6 percent lower than in September 2019, the pre-crisis record year.

Accommodated foreign tourist numbers were down 20 percent on this year though domestic tourists figures rose by 19 percent compared with September 2019, the agency reported – suggesting the trend for domestic stays which emerged during the pandemic is not completely over.

Room prices were 25 percent higher in September this year, than in September 2019, Statistics Estonia said.

Statistics Estonia amassed the data which formed the basis of the report above on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

More detailed information is here, here and here.

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