According to data from Statistics Estonia, the number of foreign visitors who stayed in officially registered accommodation establishments in 2024 was 15 per cent higher than in the previous year. A total of 265,322 visitors stayed in Tartu, spending a total of 424,510 nights. The total number of visitors increased by 4.5 per cent.
In 2024, there were 4.5 per cent more overnight stays in Tartu than during the previous year. In total, 265,322 guests stayed in Tartu’s accommodation establishments, of which 57.8 per cent were domestic tourists and 42.2 per cent were foreign tourists. Most foreign tourists arrived here from Finland (11.5 per cent) and Latvia (11 per cent), as well as Germany (2.8 per cent), Lithuania (2 per cent), Great Britain (0.9 per cent), and the United States (0.8 per cent).
The share of foreign visitors showed a significant upward trend in 2024. In total, the number of foreign tourists grew by 15 per cent. Compared to 2023, the number of Finns increased by 34 per cent, Lithuanians by 24 per cent, Swedes by 80 per cent, Germans by 76 per cent, Brits by 76 per cent, Spaniards by 70 per cent, and visitors from Asia by 58 per cent.
‘In 2024, Tartu proved that it was an internationally attractive destination – both the title of Capital of Culture and conscious marketing activities helped to bring significantly more foreign visitors to Tartu and Estonia as a whole,’ said Marleen Otsus, Head of Marketing for Tartu.
The number of visitors originating from Estonia was a bit lower than last year (-1.9 per cent). The number of visitors from Latvia increased slightly, and remained more or less the same as last year (+1.59 per cent).
Both the occupancy rates and the average number of nights spent have increased in comparison to previous years, including the pre-Covid-19 period. The annual average occupancy rate for the year was 61 per cent in Tartu, one of the highest in Estonia, and the average number of nights spent per person was 1.6. Estonians spent an average of 1.45 nights, and foreigners 1.81 nights in Tartu.
In 2024, a total of 530,245 visitors spent the night in South Estonia (Jõgeva-, Tartu-, Põlva-, Võru- and Valga counties). Compared to 2023, the number of overnight stays in South Estonia increased by 2.36 per cent.