Statistics Estonia has revealed that during 2021 the Estonian accommodation establishments served more than two million tourists, which is 8 per cent more than the figures registered in 2020.
Nonetheless, the number of tourists who visited Estonia during 2021 remains 44 per cent below the figures registered during the pre-pandemic period in 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
While the number of foreign tourists was not as high as back when there were no COVID-19 restrictions, the number of domestic tourists increased significantly, indicating that citizens of Estonia chose to travel within the country rather than abroad.
Commenting on the data gathered during last year, the analyst at Statistics Estonia, Helga Laurmaa, said that 1.6 million domestic tourists and around 600,000 foreign tourists were accommodated in Estonia last year.
This means that the number of domestic tourists increased by 22 per cent compared to 2020 and by 3 per cent compared to 2019. On the other hand, the number of foreigners was 17 per cent lower than in 2020, comparable to the one registered in 1997.
“Accommodation establishments have never served so many domestic tourists in a year, but the number of foreign tourists was comparable to 1997,” Laurmaa added.
The data have further revealed that foreign tourists spent 1.3 million nights in Estonia, which is 9 per cent less than in 2020.
The most foreign travellers who visited Estonia last year were from the neighbouring countries – Finland (144,000) and Latvia (89,000). In addition, 42,000 travellers were from Germany, and 29,000 tourists were from both Lithuania and Russia.
In contrast, the number of nights spent in accommodation establishments by domestic tourists was twice as much as the number of foreigners. Around 2.7 million nights were spent by domestic tourists, which is 20 per cent more than in 2020.
“Domestic tourists spent 2.7 million nights in accommodation establishments and foreign tourists 1.3 million nights. In comparison with 2020, nights spent by domestic tourists increased by 20 per cent, while nights spent by foreign tourists fell by 9 per cent,” the statement of Statistics Estonia reads.
It was further revealed that both foreigners and domestic travellers were mainly accommodated in Harju country, followed by Pärnu, Tartu, and Ida-Viru counties.
Previously, the Estonian authorities announced that the country would remove the COVID Certificate requirement for all events from February 14.
This means that the country might register positive trends in its travel and tourism sector as travellers and citizens of the country will no longer be subject to strict COVID-19 restrictions when travelling within Estonia.
