According to Statistics Estonia, 88,744 visitors stayed in Tartu accommodation facilities during the summer months of this year, spending a total of 148,759 nights here. Compared to the summer of last year, the share of domestic tourists increased by 6.1% and the share of foreign tourists by 14.5%.
During the summer months of this year, the number of both foreign and domestic tourists increased in Tartu compared to the same period last year, by 14.5% and 6.1%, respectively. While domestic tourism generally shows a downward trend in Estonia, in Tartu both the number of domestic tourists and the number of nights they stayed here increased. Foreign visitors spent 17.5% more nights in Tartu and travelers from Estonia 7.8% more than last summer. In total, the share of visitors staying in Tartu increased by 10.6% and the number of overnight stays by 13.4%.
“The positive thing is that in addition to foreign tourists, domestic tourists have also started to spend the night in Tartu more than before. The activities of the Capital of Culture increased Tartu’s visibility both in Estonia and abroad, and since we are consistently carrying out marketing activities in different target markets, this is also reflected in the summer accommodation statistics,” said Annika Ojasaar, Head of Tartu Tourism.
A total of 39,767 locals and 48,977 foreigners stayed in Tartu during the summer months. Among foreign visitors, the most were Finns (13,401 people), Latvians (7,558), Germans (5,953) and Lithuanians (2,912). 1,682 tourists arrived here from Great Britain. The number of Poles and French also increased significantly, with more than twice as many visitors from both countries coming to Tartu than last summer: there were 1,107 Poles and 955 French visitors during the summer.
On average, 1.68 nights were spent in Tartu accommodation facilities during the summer. The average cost per night was 46 euros and the average occupancy rate was 65%.
A total of 196,797 people stayed in South Estonia this summer, of whom 67.9% were locals and 32.1% were foreigners. While the number of domestic tourists remained more or less at the same level compared to last summer (an increase of 0.84%), there were 9.82% more foreign visitors in South Estonia than last year.
The data comes from Statistics Estonia and only reflects information on guests staying in officially registered accommodation facilities. These accommodation statistics do not reflect the total number of visitors to Tartu, as many also use short-term rental accommodation or stay overnight elsewhere.
Additional information: Annika Ojasaar, Head of Tartu Tourism, Tartumaa Turism Foundation, annika.ojasaar@visittartu.com, phone: +37258867883