Home > Statistics > Accommodation statistics > 2014 > Demand for accommodation services declined by 2.3 per cent in 2014

Published: 29 April 2015

Demand for accommodation services declined by 2.3 per cent in 2014

The last four months of 2013 already indicated a petering out in the demand for accommodation services, and in the early part of 2014, the demand diminished slightly, deepening to a fall of 6.5 per cent in March. Not even the summer season managed to turn the demand for accommodation services around, and the latter part of the year was slightly negative, except for October, when the demand grew by under one per cent. In 2014, the demand for accommodation services decreased in total by 2.3 per cent. The foreign demand for accommodation services declined by 2.6 per cent and the domestic demand by 2.1 per cent compared with the previous year.
In 2014, accommodation establishments in Finland recorded nearly 19.8 million overnight stays, of which domestic tourists accounted for 14.1 million and foreign tourists for 5.7 million. These figures are 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.

Year-on-year changes in nights spent (%) by month 2014–2013

Russians still formed the largest group of foreign visitors in accommodation establishments in 2014

Despite the steep fall in the number of overnight stays, Russians were the biggest group of foreign tourists in Finnish accommodation establishments in 2014. Altogether, 1.3 million overnight stays were recorded for Russians, which was 17.3 per cent down on the year before. Nevertheless, Russian visitors accounted for good 23 per cent of all overnight stays by foreign visitors. Swedish, German and British visitors came next. For Swedes and Germans, the number of overnight stays was good one-third of the overnight stays by Russians, or 0.5 million overnight stays for both. Overnight stays by Swedish visitors increased by nearly one per cent and those by Germans remained on level with the previous year. Overnight stays by British tourists in Finnish accommodation establishments made a slight downturn and nearly 450,000 overnight stays were recorded for them, which was 1.7 per cent down on 2013.

Overnight stays by French tourists numbered 215,000, which was almost the same as in 2013. Overnight stays by visitors from the United States and Estonia both increased to around 200,000. Overnight stays by visitors from the United States grew by 9.0 per cent and the biggest growth percentage was recorded for them in 2014 among the most important countries of inbound tourism into Finland. Overnight stays by Estonian tourists increased by 4.8 per cent from the previous year. In contrast, overnight stays by Japanese tourists made a downturn in summer 2014 and 192,000 overnight stays were recorded for them, which was 6.8 per cent fewer than in 2013.

Examined by continent, the biggest growth percentages came from Oceania, where Australia boosted overnight stays to a growth of over nine per cent, the number of overnight stays amounting to just 62,000, and from America, where growth amounted to 8.3 per cent. The United States was the engine behind the growth for America. The number of overnight stays by visitors from EU countries and Nordic countries was two per cent up on 2013. All in all, nearly 2.8 million overnight stays were recorded for tourists from EU countries. Among the largest EU countries, inbound tourism increased by seven to eight per cent from Italy and Spain in 2014. The number of overnight stays recorded from the Nordic countries was 814,000.

Change in overnight stays 2014 / 2013, %

Number of nights spent at hotels totalled 15.7 million in 2014

In 2014, the total number of nights spent in hotels was 15.7 million, which was 2.2 per cent lower than in 2013. Recorded nights spent by resident tourists in hotels numbered 10.9 million and by foreign tourists 4.7 million. Overnight stays decreased for both by 2.2 per cent from the previous year. Overnight stays at hotels covered 79 per cent of all overnight stays at accommodation establishments. The share of foreign tourists of overnight stays in hotels was 30 per cent and 29 per cent of all overnight stays at accommodation establishments.

The occupancy rate of hotel rooms for the whole country was 51.5 per cent in 2014. One year earlier, it was 51.3 per cent. The average price of a hotel room has been growing since 2011, when the average price was EUR 88. In 2014, it was EUR 91.88.

Hotel room occupancy rate and the monthly average price

Regional development of overnight stays in 2014

In 2014, overnight stays increased in only a few of the regions. The number of overnight stays in both Kanta-Häme and North Ostrobothnia grew by three per cent. In Kanta-Häme, the capacity of accommodation establishments also grew somewhat, while in North Ostrobothnia the capacity diminished. Uusimaa and Central Ostrobothnia increased the number of overnight stays by one per cent. In all other regions, the numbers of overnight stays went down last year. The biggest drop in overnight stays, 10.9 per cent, was recorded in the region of South Karelia, where the capacity of accommodation establishments grew somewhat. Overnight stays in Satakunta diminished by 7.1 per cent and decreases of six per cent were recorded in both Pirkanmaa and Etelä-Savo.
In absolute numbers, overnight stays in accommodation establishments increased most in North Ostrobothnia, where nearly 41,000 more overnight stays were recorded, and in Uusimaa, where overnight stays increased by close on 24,000 from 2013.

The share of overnight stays by foreign tourists of all overnight stays was 47 per cent in South Karelia, 46 per cent in Uusimaa, and 43 per cent in Lapland. These regions also recorded most overnight stays by Russians. In Uusimaa, 353,000 overnight stays were recorded for Russians, in South Karelia 270,000 and in Lapland nearly 117,000.

In Kymenlaakso, the share of foreign tourists in all overnight stays was 30 per cent. The share was 25 per cent in Etelä-Savo and 21 per cent in North Karelia. In other regions of the Finnish mainland, at most one night in five was spent by a foreign visitor.

Change in overnight stays by region 2014/2013,%

Overnight stays of foreigners growing in Europe in 2014

In 2014, overnight stays in Finland by foreign visitors declined by 2.6 per cent, although at the same time, a growth of 5.4 per cent in overnight stays by foreigners was experienced in our neighbouring areas, the Nordic countries and the Baltic countries. The growth was more moderate in the rest of Europe: In Southern Europe, up by 1.9 per cent and in Central Europe by 0.7 per cent. From 2004 to 2012, the growth of overnight stays by foreigners was faster in Finland than the European average, but in 2013 the growth slowed down.

Nights spent by non-residents in Europe (2004 = 100)

Overnight stays of domestic visitors grew weakly in Europe in 2014

The slight decline in overnight stays by domestic visitors in Finland, which started in 2013, steepened to 2.1 per cent in 2014. In the rest of Europe, overnight stays by domestic tourists, in turn, remained on level with the previous year, growing by 0.6 per cent. However, a growth of 2.9 per cent was recorded in domestic overnight stays in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Domestic overnight stays in Central Europe have been more or less on the same level for the last three years. Southern Europe still has not recovered from the steep drop in overnight stays by domestic tourists in 2012 (-6.5 per cent). There domestic stays have frozen to the level preceding 2004.

The information on overnight stays in other European countries is based on monthly data on the use of capacity at European accommodation establishments collected by Eurostat.

Nights spent by residents in Europe (2004 = 100)

The capacity of accommodation establishments decreased in 2014

In 2014, Statistics Finland’s register of accommodation establishments has been updated with new and closed establishments and the industry data of accommodation establishments have been revised. The number of accommodation establishments contained in the statistics went down by 35 in 2014. The room capacity decreased by 751 rooms and the number of beds by 2,270 beds. In absolute numbers, the biggest changes concerned guest houses and hotels.

In 2014, the statistics covered a total of 1,408 accommodation establishments; 655 hotels, 130 guest houses, 335 holiday villages, 243 camping sites and 45 youth hostels. Holiday villages of hotel calibre are included in hotels. The accommodation establishments had 65,498 rooms (or cottages) with a total of 160,470 beds. In addition to the room and bed capacity, the accommodation establishments had 20,854 caravan pitches with electricity connection of which 16,275 were located at camping sites. 

When the capacity of accommodation establishments is viewed according to the number of rooms, the statistics contained 1,048 establishments with fewer than 50 rooms and 360 establishments with at least 50 rooms in 2014. Measured by bed capacity, there were 1,220 establishments with fewer than one hundred beds and 188 establishments with at least one hundred beds.

In 2014, there were 1,074 accommodation establishments that were open year round and 334 establishments that were open part of the year; these were mostly camping sites and holiday villages.

Source: Accommodation Statistics. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marjut Tuominen 029 551 3556, Ossi Nurmi 029 551 2984, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Director in charge: Hannele Orjala

Publication in pdf-format (521.2 kB)

Tables

Tables in databases

Pick the data you need into tables, view the data as graphs, or download the data for your use.

• Database tables and their variables
• Archived tables

Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Capacity and its utilization in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 2. Nights spend in all establishments in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 3. Hotel capacity and capacity utilization in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 4. Nights spend in hotels in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 5. Visitor arrivals and nights spend by country of residence in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 6. Nights spend in all establishments by month in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 7.1. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in all establishments in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 7.2. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in all establishments in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 8.1. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in hotels in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 8.2. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in hotels in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 9.1. Capacity of accommodation establishments and capacity utilization by type of establishment in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 9.2. Capacity of accommodation establishments and capacity utilization by type of establishment, May-August 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 10.1. Capacity of accommodation establishments by type of establishment in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 10.2. Capacity of accommodation establishments by opening season in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 10.3. Capacity of accommodation establishments by number of bed-places in 2014 (29.4.2015)
• Appendix table 10.4. Capacity of accommodation establishments by number of rooms in 2014 (29.4.2015)

---

Updated 29.4.2015