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Published: 29 April 2016

Demand for accommodation services remained on level with the previous year in 2015

In 2015, accommodation establishments in Finland recorded nearly 19.8 million overnight stays, of which domestic tourists accounted for 14.2 million and foreign tourists for 5.5 million. The foreign demand for accommodation services declined by 3.5 per cent, while the domestic demand grew by 1.1 per cent compared with the previous year. Total demand for accommodation services declined by only 0.2 per cent in 2015.
The year 2014 already indicated a slight petering out in the demand for accommodation services and in January 2015, the demand decreased further by close on eight per cent. A slight growth was achieved in February, but during spring, the demand for accommodation services decreased again until July when the demand increased by one per cent. The remainder of the year showed a slight growth, apart from November when the demand decreased by three per cent. 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.

Year-on-year changes in nights spent (%) by month 2015/2014

Russians still formed the largest group of foreign visitors in accommodation establishments in 2015

If the development of overnight stays by foreign visitors is examined excluding the steep decline in overnight stays by Russians, the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists increased by around eight per cent in 2015. However, Russians were the largest group of foreign tourists in Finnish accommodation establishments in 2015. Nearly 783,000 overnight stays were recorded for Russians, which was as much as 41.6 per cent down on the year before. In 2015, Russian visitors accounted for 14 per cent of all overnight stays by foreign visitors, having been good 23 per cent twelve months earlier. Swedish, German and British visitors came next. For Swedes and Germans, the number of overnight stays was good 0.5 million overnight stays for both. Overnight stays by Swedish tourists increased by 2.9 per cent and those by German tourists by 8.6 per cent. Overnight stays by British tourists in Finnish accommodation establishments made an upturn of 5.6 per cent and nearly 472,000 overnight stays were recorded for them.

Overnight stays by French tourists numbered 230,000, which was 6.8 per cent more than in 2014. Around 203,000 overnight stays were recorded for both Japanese and American tourists at accommodation establishments. Overnight stays by Japanese tourists increased by 5.9 per cent, while those by American tourists decreased by close on one per cent from 2014. Close on 190,000 overnight stays were recorded for Norwegian and Estonian visitors. Overnight stays by Norwegian tourists increased by 3.9 per cent, while those by Estonian tourists decreased by the same amount. Among the most important countries of inbound tourism to Finland, overnight stays by Chinese visitors increased most in 2015. They spent close on 182,000 nights in Finland, which was 41.3 per cent more than in 2014. Tourism from Switzerland also made a sharp upturn in July, which increased the total number of overnight stays by Swiss tourists by more than one-fifth in 2015.

Examined by continent, the biggest growth percentage came from Asia, where China and Japan boosted overnight stays to a growth of over 23 per cent, as overnight stays totalled 729,000. The number of overnight stays by visitors from EU countries and African countries was nearly six per cent up on 2014. In total, overnight stays by visitors from EU countries amounted to good 2.9 million, while overnight stays by tourists from Africa were good 25,000. Among the largest EU countries, inbound tourism increased by seven to nine per cent from France and Germany in 2015. Altogether 846,000 overnight stays were recorded for visitors from Nordic countries, which was 3.9 per cent more than in 2014. Tourism from America increased by 4.8 per cent and overnight stays grew to good 294,000 in 2015.

Change in overnight stays 2015 / 2014, %

Number of nights spent at hotels totalled 15.8 million in 2015

In 2015, the total number of nights spent in hotels was 15.8 million, which was one per cent higher than in 2014. Recorded nights spent by resident tourists in hotels numbered 11.2 million and by foreign tourists 4.6 million. The number of nights spent by resident tourists increased by 2.7 per cent while that of nights spent by foreign tourists decreased by the same amount from the year before. Overnight stays at hotels covered 80 per cent of all overnight stays at accommodation establishments. The share of foreign tourists of overnight stays in hotels was 29 per cent and 28 per cent of all overnight stays at accommodation establishments.

The occupancy rate of hotel rooms for the whole country was 52.3 per cent in 2015. One year earlier, it was 51.4 per cent. The average price of a hotel room has been growing since 2011, when the average price was EUR 88. In 2015, it was EUR 92.09.

Hotel room occupancy rate and the monthly average price

Regional development of overnight stays in 2015

In 2015, overnight stays increased in only a few (of the) regions in Mainland Finland. In Ostrobothnia, Pirkanmaa and Uusimaa, overnight stays increased by four to five per cent. In Uusimaa, the capacity of accommodation establishments grew somewhat, while in Ostrobothnia and Pirkanmaa, the capacity diminished. South Ostrobothnia increased its overnight stays by one per cent. Overnight stays in the regions of Satakunta and Lapland remained on level with the previous year. In all other regions, the numbers of overnight stays went down last year. The biggest drop in overnight stays, 12.4 per cent, was recorded in the region of South Karelia, where the capacity of accommodation establishments also diminished somewhat. Overnight stays in Central Ostrobothnia fell by 10.9 per cent. Overnight stays in both Kymenlaakso and Etelä-Savo decreased by nearly nine per cent from 2014.
In Åland, overnight stays increased by 4.1 per cent from the previous year.

In absolute numbers, overnight stays in accommodation establishments increased most in Uusimaa, where nearly 260,000 more overnight stays were recorded, and in Ostrobothnia, where overnight stays increased by close on 64,000 from 2014.

In Mainland Finland, the share of overnight stays by foreign visitors was highest in Uusimaa, 45 per cent, Lapland, 44 per cent, and South Karelia, 32 per cent. These regions also recorded the most overnight stays by Russians next to Etelä-Savo. In Uusimaa, 210,000 overnight stays were recorded for Russians, in South Karelia 144,000, and in Lapland good 67,000. In Etelä-Savo, altogether 82,500 overnight stays were recorded for Russians.

In Kymenlaakso, the share of foreign tourists in all overnight stays was 24 per cent. The share was 21 per cent in Etelä-Savo and 19.5 per cent in Ostrobothnia In other regions of Mainland Finland, at most one night in six was spent by a foreign visitor.

Change in overnight stays by region 2015/2014,%

Overnight stays of foreign visitors continued to grow in Europe in 2015

In 2015, overnight stays by foreign visitors in Europe grew by 4.4 per cent. In our neighbouring regions, the Nordic and Baltic countries, the growth amounted to six per cent. Due to the steep decline in overnight stays by Russian visitors, overnight stays by foreign tourists in Finland decreased by 3.5 per cent. Overnight stays by other foreign visitors than Russians in Finland increased, however, by eight per cent.

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

Overnight stays by resident tourists also growing in Europe

In Finland, overnight stays by resident tourists increased by 1.1 per cent. However, elsewhere in Europe, overnight stays by resident tourists grew by around four per cent. The decline in overnight stays by resident tourists in Southern Europe, which began in 2011, turned into a five per cent growth in 2015.

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 2015

In 2015, Statistics Finland’s register of accommodation establishments has been updated with new and closed establishments throughout the year. The number of accommodation establishments contained in the statistics went down by 16 in 2015. The room capacity decreased by 28 rooms and the number of beds by 810 beds. In absolute numbers, the biggest changes concerned camping sites, guest houses and hotels.

In 2015, the statistics covered a total of 1,392 accommodation establishments: 651 hotels, 126 guest houses, 337 holiday villages, 236 camping sites and 42 youth hostels. Holiday villages of hotel calibre are included in hotels. The accommodation establishments had 65,526 rooms (or cottages) with a total of 161,280 beds. In addition to the room and bed capacity, the accommodation establishments had 20,945 caravan pitches with electricity connection of which 16,205 were located at camping sites. 

When the capacity of accommodation establishments is viewed according to the number of rooms, the statistics contained 1,032 establishments with fewer than 50 rooms and 360 establishments with at least 50 rooms in 2015. Measured by bed capacity, there were 961 establishments with fewer than one hundred beds and 431 establishments with at least one hundred beds.

In 2015, there were 1,084 accommodation establishments that were open year round and 308 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: Mari Ylä-Jarkko

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Capacity and its utilization in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 2. Nights spent in all establishments in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 3. Hotel capacity and capacity utilization in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 4. Nights spent in hotels in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 5. Visitor arrivals and nights spent by country of residence in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 6. Nights spent in all establishments by month in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 7.1. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in all establishments in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 7.2. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in all establishments in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 8.1. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in hotels in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 8.2. Nights spent by non-residents and annual change (%) in hotels in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 9.1. Capacity of accommodation establishments and capacity utilization by type of establishment in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 9.2. Capacity of accommodation establishments and capacity utilization by type of establishment, May-August 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 10.1. Capacity of accommodation establishments by type of establishment in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 10.2. Capacity of accommodation establishments by opening season in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 10.3. Capacity of accommodation establishments by number of bed-places in 2015 (29.4.2016)
• Appendix table 10.4. Capacity of accommodation establishments by number of rooms in 2015 (29.4.2016)

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Updated 29.4.2016