Finnish travel: documentation of statistics
Basic data of the statistics
Data description
Statistical population
For trips during the whole year persons aged 15 – 85 permanently resident in Finland.
Statistical unit
Unit of measure
Reference period
Reference area
Sector coverage
Covers trips by persons aged 15 to 84 permanently resident in Finland as well as number of persons having travelled during the whole year.
Time coverage
Frequency of dissemination
Concepts
Business tripExternal link
In the Finnish Travel survey this category of trips goes under the heading 'Business/conference'.
Country of residenceExternal link
CruiseExternal link
Day cruiseExternal link
Domestic tourismExternal link
Domestic tripExternal link
The definition of domestic trip is derived from the World Tourism Organization's (WTO) definitions for 'Domestic tourism' and 'Domestic visitor'.
Duration of tripExternal link
Leisure tripExternal link
In the Finnish travel survey all trips that do not come under the category of 'Business/congress trips' are considered leisure trips. This category covers trips to own holiday home, visits to friends and relatives, as well as leisure cruises and same-day visits.
Long tripExternal link
Outbound tourismExternal link
Overnight stayExternal link
On the other hand, the number of nights spent during a trip (duration of trip) measures the time a traveller spends away from home. In the tourism demand statistics (the Finnish Travel survey), the duration of a trip is classified by the number of nights spent into two main categories: short trips including 1-3 nights, and long trips including 4 or more nights. Overnight travelling by boat/ferry, train or other vehicle is included in the total number of nights spent during the trip. As regards tourism statistics, the maximum duration of stay in the destination place/country is 12 consecutive months.
Overnight tripExternal link
In the Finnish Travel survey an overnight trip is a statistical unit to measure the volume of overnight tourism. The duration of a trip is measured by the number of nights spent during it. Overnight travelling by boat/ferry, train or other vehicles is included in the total number of nights spent during the trip.
Package tourExternal link
Place of residenceExternal link
Private tourist accommodationExternal link
Reason for tripExternal link
Rented cottage, holiday dwellingExternal link
In Finland rented holiday dwellings located in the surroundings of tourists centres have increased rapidly in recent years. In the area of tourism centres rented holiday dwellings form a sort of holiday community, where, besides accommodation, dwellers are offered other services, like cleaning, laundry, waste disposal and other maintenance services. The dwellers can also use all the services offered in the centre, such as restaurant and catering services, shops, spas, ski lifts, ski slopes and tracks.
Same-day visitExternal link
A same-day visit can be headed abroad (international same-day visit) or to the domestic country (domestic same-day visit). The definition of a same-day visit is derived from the World Tourism Organization's (WTO) definition for a same-day visitor, and it is also used in the EU tourism statistics.
Same-day visitorExternal link
A same-day visitor stays less than 24 hours in the place/country visited, the arrival and the departure takes place within the same calendar day. Same-day visitors are also such cruise passengers who spend the night on board a ship and visit the destination place/country without overnighting there. In this case, ship is the place of departure of the same-day visitor.
Short tripExternal link
TourismExternal link
Tourism expenditureExternal link
Tourism in neighbouring countriesExternal link
TouristExternal link
A visitor who does not spent one night during the trip is called same-day visitor.
Tourist accommodationExternal link
TripExternal link
Trip abroadExternal link
Trip to own holiday homeExternal link
Usual environmentExternal link
Visit to friends and relativesExternal link
In the Finnish Travel survey visits to friends and relatives are a sub-gategory of leisure trips in which other leisure trips are combined (excl. visits to one's own holiday home). As a means of accommodation, staying with friends and relatives is classified into the category of private non-rental accommodation.
VisitorExternal link
In this connection remuneration refers to salary/wages or similar pay except for travelling expenses, daily expense or other minor compensations.
Classifications
Accuracy, reliability and timeliness
Overall accuracy
The reporting of individual trips may also be affected by the respondent not remembering the trip or interpreting the definition of trip differently.
Timeliness
Punctuality
Completeness
Sampling error
Indicator | Estimate (thousands of trips) | Variation coefficient |
Participation in tourism: number of residents, aged 15 or over, having made at least 1 trip of at least 1 overnight stay (all age groups) | 4 090 | 0,009 |
Age group 65 or over | 830 | 0,023 |
All trips | 39 580 | 0,001 |
Domestic trips | 29 100 | 0,006 |
Trips abroad | 9 460 | 0,018 |
Leisure trips | 33 070 | 0,004 |
Business trips | 5 510 | 0,025 |
Domestic trips in paid accommodation | 9 580 | 0,017 |
Domestic trips in free accommodation | 19 220 | 0,008 |
Non-sampling error
Over-coverage rate / A2
Unit non-response rate / A4
Indicator | Number of units per year |
Ineligible units | 535 |
Eligible units | 27 665 |
Non-contacts | 9 264 |
Refusals | 4 083 |
Other types of non-response | 779 |
Total non-response | 14 126 |
Comparability
Comparability - geographical
Comparability - over time
Starting from the beginning of 2000, the survey has been made centrally every month together with the Consumer Survey (now Consumer Confidence). Prior to this, the data were collected in connection with those for Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey, quarterly between 1996 and 1999 and before that three times a year.
In 2000, the maximum length of a trip changed from 90 to 365 days according to the guidelines of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The fact that starting from the statistical reference year 2000, target persons have been asked about trips that ended during the survey period instead of trips that started, has also weakened the comparability of the data somewhat.
The data collection was changed in 2010 so that the survey period of the interview month was shortened from two months to one month, that is, the inquiry concerns only trips ended during the month immediately before the interview month instead of the two previous months as before. Previously, final data on the numbers of trips in each month were obtained as an average for two samples, after the change the figures are based on one sample.
The time series is comparable from 2012. From 2012 onwards, the statistics on tourism are compiled in accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) No 692/2011. At the same time, the population was extended from people aged 15 to 74 to those aged 15 to 84, more accurate weighting coefficients were introduced and significant changes were made to the interview questionnaire. On account of the revision, the data are not fully comparable with previous years. The extension of the age group increased the sums by group of trips by two to five per cent. The specification of the weighting coefficient increased the sums by group of trips by two to three per cent. It is difficult to define the effect of changed questions on the results obtained. The deduction of the type of trip from the responses given (instead of the respondent's own classification) has moved part of the trips to another group. The revised instructions aim to lower the amount of travelling belonging to the usual environment in the statistics.
The under-reporting of trips caused by the three-month reference period of the 2019 survey has been corrected with the help of inflating coefficients calculated from annual changes in other data for types of trips and destination countries of trips abroad. The data on 2019 describing numbers of trips are therefore comparable with the previous years. Data on persons having travelled are comparable between different years.
As a result of the amendment to statistical legislation (3 February 2023/145), Statistics Finland has more exhaustive contact information than before, which has improved response rates in data collections. The change is visible in the statistics starting from August 2023.
In the statistics on Finnish travel the change is especially noticeable in the increased response rate among young people and people of working age. The travel habits of these respondents who could previously not be reached differ from the habits of the persons having responded to the inquiry in the past. Thus, the results describe the travel habits of different population groups more extensively, although this is visible in the statistics as a decrease in the number of trips compared with previous years.
The annual survey on persons having travelled was made in connection with the Labour Force Survey between 1991 and 2011 and after that as annexed to the Finnish Travel Survey.Coherence - cross domain
Tourism satellite account (TSA) is a statistical system in which the economic effects of tourism are described in a versatile and comprehensive manner. The figures for tourism accounts are published on the web pages of Visit Finland's statistical service RudolfExternal link.
Statistics on passenger transport between Finland and foreign countries are compiled in Statistics Finland's statistics on international sea transport and air transport. However, these statistics do not report the country of residence of the passengers. The Association of Finnish Travel Agents (AFTA) publishes yearly on its website statistics on leisure package tours made by air and their market shares, which provide information about the number of trips bought through travel agencies by country of destination.
Coherence - sub-annual and annual statistics
Source data and data collections
Source data
The sample size of the inquiry is 28,200 persons per year, that is, 2,350 persons per month. In 2019 the sample size was 16,000 persons per year. In 2012 to 2018, the sample size was 28,200 persons per year. Until 2018, the same sample was also used in the data collection of the monthly statistics on consumer confidence.
The response data are expanded to the whole population with weighting coefficients. From 2012 onwards, the weighting coefficient for each month is expanded to the population of the month (preliminary data on population structure). The strata used are the respondent's age group, sex and area of residence (major region). Before 2012, only sex was used as the stratum.
The reference period of the monthly survey was extended from one month in 2012 to 2018 to three previous months in the 2019 survey. The aim of the change was to obtain more travel observations from each respondent than before. At the same time, however, fewer trips were obtained by month. This is assumed to be because either not all trips during three months were remembered to be reported or their reporting was felt too heavy especially for those who travelled much. This sub-reporting concerned especially short trips, business trips, and various trips made with guest and other free accommodation.
In order to maintain the comparability of the annual numbers of trips, the weight coefficients of trips were raised by type of trip and for trips abroad by country-specific coefficients. Source data outside the statistics describing annual level change were used to determine these inflating coefficients. Statistics Finland's accommodation statistics were used especially for trips with paid accommodation in Finland. For Finnish residents' trips abroad, statistical data based on data on telecommunications operators were used on visits by destination country, statistics on package tours of the Association of Finnish Travel Agents, passenger statistics on sea transport, and for Estonian tourism, statistics on the number of passengers published by the Port of Tallinn.
A reference period of one month was resumed in the 2020 monthly survey.
Data collection
Frequency of data collection
In addition to the last monthly inquiry of the year, a so-called annual inquiry is made, where yes/no questions are used to establish the numbers of persons having made different types of trips during the statistical reference year.
Cost and burden
Methods
Data compilation
The 2019 weighting coefficients per trip were raised by using annual changes by type of trip and, for foreign trips, also coefficients by country based on sources outside the statistics.
Data validation
The collected data are validated after the data collection and missing information is imputed and potential errors and inconsistencies are corrected. These are such as missing or ‘don’t know’ values for certain key questions and incredible information related to destination country, trip duration or primary means of transportation and their combinations.
Principles and outlines
Contact organisation
Contact organisation unit
Legal acts and other agreements
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislationExternal link
Confidentiality - policy
The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed in accordance with the requirements of the Statistics Act (280/2004), the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act (1050/2018). The data materials are protected at all stages of processing with the necessary physical and technical solutions. Statistics Finland has compiled detailed directions and instructions for confidential processing of the data. Employees have access only to the data essential for their duties. The premises where unit-level data are processed are not accessible to outsiders. Members of the personnel have signed a pledge of secrecy upon entering the service. Violation of data protection is punishable.
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)External link
Confidentiality - data treatment
Release policy
Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data are public after they have been updated in the web service.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics FinlandExternal link
Data sharing
Accessibility and clarity
Statistical data are published as database tables in the StatFin database. The database is the primary publishing site of data, and new data are updated first there. When releasing statistical data, existing database tables can be updated with new data or completely new database tables can be published.
In addition to statistical data published in the StatFin database, a release on the key data is usually published in the web service. If the release contains data concerning several reference periods (e.g. monthly and annual data), a review bringing together these data is published in the web service. Database tables updated at the time of publication are listed both in the release and in the review. In some cases, statistical data can also be published as mere database releases in the StatFin database. No release or review is published in connection with these database releases.
Releases and database tables are published in three languages, in Finnish, Swedish and English. The language versions of releases may have more limited content than in Finnish.
Information about changes in the publication schedules of releases and database tables and about corrections are given as change releases in the web service.
Micro-data access
Data revision - policy
Revisions – i.e. improvements in the accuracy of statistical data already published – are a normal feature of statistical production and result in improved quality of statistics. The principle is that statistical data are based on the best available data and information concerning the statistical phenomenon. On the other hand, the revisions are communicated as transparently as possible in advance. Advance communication ensures that the users can prepare for the data revisions.
The reason why data in statistical releases become revised is often caused by the data becoming supplemented. Then the new, revised statistical figure is based on a wider information basis and describes the phenomenon more accurately than before.
Revisions of statistical data may also be caused by the calculation method used, such as annual benchmarking or updating of weight structures. Changes of base years and used classifications may also cause revisions to data.
User needs
User satisfaction
Quality assessment
Quality assurance
Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The quality management framework of the field of statistics is the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP). The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are also compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Further information: Quality management | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)External link
User access
Data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may only be handled at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.
Further information: Publication principles for statisticsExternal link
Unless otherwise separately stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer of the data and the owner of the copyright. The terms of useExternal link for statistical data.