Home > Statistics > Accommodation statistics > 2013 > March > Nights spent by foreign tourists in Finland up by 3.7 per cent in March 2013

Published: 16 May 2013

Nights spent by foreign tourists in Finland up by 3.7 per cent in March 2013

The number of recorded nights spent by foreign tourists at Finnish accommodation establishments in March 2013 was 467,000, which is 3.7 per cent more than in March 2012. The number of nights spent by resident tourists went down by 1.4 per cent and totalled nearly 1.3 million overnight stays. The total number of nights spent remained on level with the previous year and altogether good 1.7 million overnight stays were recorded at accommodation establishments in March 2013. These figures are preliminary data from Statistics Finland’s statistics on accommodation establishments and they have been collected from accommodation establishments with at least 20 beds or caravan pitches with electricity connection, and youth hostels.

Change in overnight stays in March 2013/2012, %

Russians were by far the largest group of foreign tourists in March 2013. Nearly 127,000 overnight stays were recorded for them at Finnish accommodation establishments, which was 10.8 per cent more than one year before. Germans were the second largest visitor group with 43,000 overnight stays, even though this was one per cent less than in March 2012. Overnight stays by British visitors have increased heavily during the first months of the year and they came third with 35,000 overnight stays. The number of nights recorded for them at Finnish accommodation establishments in March was 10.9 per cent higher than one year earlier. The number of nights spent by French tourists went up by 18.8 per cent from March 2012 and totalled 32,000. By contrast, overnight stays recorded for Swedish visitors decreased by 9.8 per cent and totalled 29,000. Largest growth was seen in overnight stays by Japanese visitors, 33.8 per cent and by Spanish visitors, 23.3 per cent. By contrast, among other major tourist countries the amount of overnight stays by Estonian tourists decreased most. Overnight stays recorded for them at accommodation establishments numbered 17,000, which was 28.7 per cent less than in March 2012.

By region, the total number of overnight stays increased most in the regions of North Karelia, up by 14.8 per cent, and Etelä-Savo, up by 14.5 per cent. Overnight stays increased by 12.9 per cent in Åland and by 6.8 per cent in South Ostrobothnia. Overnight stays decreased most in Ostrobothnia, by 9.7 per cent. The number of nights spent in Pirkanmaa and Uusimaa fell by 7.2 per cent in both regions. Overnight stays in the whole country remained nearly on level with March 2012.

Change in overnight stays in March by region 2013 / 2012, %

Nights spent in hotels decreased by 2 per cent in March 2013

In March 2013, the total number of nights spent in hotels was good 1.4 million, which was 2 per cent fewer than twelve months earlier. Recorded nights spent by resident tourists in hotels numbered one million. The number was 3.5 per cent lower than in March 2012. By contrast, overnight stays by foreign tourists increased by 2 per cent and accommodation establishments recorded a total of good 409,000 of them.

The occupancy rate of hotel rooms was 52.8 per cent in March. One year earlier, it was 56.3 per cent. Examined by region, the highest hotel room occupancy rates were recorded in Lapland, 69.3 per cent, and Kainuu, 62.2 per cent. In Kittilä, the hotel room occupancy rate was 83.4 per cent and in Sotkamo 78.9 per cent. Hotel room occupancy rate in Helsinki was 59.7 per cent.

In March 2013, the realised average price of a hotel room was EUR 94.81 per day for the whole country. Twelve months previously it was EUR 93.48.

Hotel room occupancy rate and the monthly average price

Total number of nights spent at all accommodation establishments fell by 1.2 per cent in January to March 2013

Between January and March 2013, the number of nights spent at accommodation establishments in Finland totalled 4.5 million, which was 1.2 per cent down on the respective time period of last year. Overnight stays by resident tourists decreased by 1.8 per cent and accommodation establishments recorded a total of 3 million of them. Overnight stays by foreign tourists numbered 1.5 million, which was almost the same as in January-March 2012.

Accommodation establishments recorded 521,000 overnight stays for Russians and, as usual, they were by far the largest group of foreign visitors in January-March 2013. Their overnight stays increased by 0.9 per cent from the respective time period of last year. British and German visitors came next. Overnight stays recorded for British visitors increased by 12.9 per cent year-on-year and totalled nearly 130,000. Germans spent nearly 115,000 nights at Finnish accommodation establishments, which was 2.7 per cent fewer than in the respective time period of last year. Nearly 95,000 nights spent were recorded for French visitors, which was 7.2 per cent more than twelve months earlier. Night spent by visitors from Sweden at Finnish accommodation establishments numbered 75,500, which was 7.6 per cent down on the same period twelve months earlier. Japanese and Dutch visitors both spent nearly 62,000 nights at Finnish accommodation establishments. Overnight stays by Japanese tourists increased heavily, by 20.7 per cent and those by Dutch tourists increased moderately, by 1.9 per cent. Among the most important countries of inbound tourism into Finland, overnight stays by Spanish tourists increased, however, most, by 21.6 per cent and 23,000 overnight stays were recorded for them. By contrast, overnight stays recorded for Estonian visitors decreased most in January-March 2013, by 27.3 per cent and totalled 47,000.

Change in overnight stays in January-March 2013/2012, %

Source: Accommodation Statistics. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marjut Tuominen 09 1734 3556, Merja Rönkä 09 1734 3209, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Director in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1.1. Capacity and its utilization, March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 1.2. Capacity and its utilization, January-March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 2.1. Nights spend in all establishments, March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 2.2. Nights spend in all establishments, January-March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 3.1. Hotel capacity and capacity utilization, March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 3.2. Hotel capacity and capacity utilization, January-March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 4.1. Nights spend in hotels, March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 4.2. Nights spend in hotels, January-March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 5.1. Visitor arrivals and nights spend by country of residence, March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 5.2. Visitor arrivals and nights spend by country of residence, January-March 2013 (16.5.2013)
• Appendix table 6. Nights spend in all establishments, 2013 (16.5.2013)

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Updated 16.5.2013