Home > Statistics > Accommodation statistics > 2016 > May > Nights spent by resident tourists increased by 1.2 per cent in May 2016

Published: 14 July 2016

Nights spent by resident tourists increased by 1.2 per cent in May 2016

Overnight stays by resident tourists increased by 1.2 per cent in May and accommodation establishments recorded nearly 973,000 of them. In contrast, the number of nights spent by foreign tourists decreased by 3.8 per cent and they spent close on 374,000 nights at accommodation establishments. In total, Finnish accommodation establishments recorded good 1.3 million overnight stays in May 2016, which was nearly the same as in May 2015, declining by just 0.2 per cent. 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.

Change in overnight stays in May 2016/2015, %

As in April, Swedish tourists were the biggest group of foreign tourists at Finnish accommodation establishments also in May with close on 50,000 overnight stays. Their overnight stays increased by 2.4 per cent year-on-year. Russian visitors came next. Overnight stays by Russian visitors declined steeply again in May. Altogether, close on 39,000 overnight stays were recorded for them at Finnish accommodation establishments, which was 35.3 per cent lower than in May 2015. Germans came third with 36,000 nights spent, which was 0.7 per cent more than twelve months earlier. Overnight stays recorded for visitors from the United States increased by 15.0 per cent year-on-year and totalled 21,000. British tourists also reached over 20,000 overnight stays even though their stays declined by 10.3 per cent from May 2015.

Tourism from Asia has grown throughout 2016 and also in May the biggest growth percentages came from China and Japan. Overnight stays by Chinese tourists rose to nearly 17,000, which was one-fifth more than in May 2015. Good 14,000 overnight stays at accommodation establishments were recorded for Japanese visitors. The number was 29.8 per cent higher than one year previously. Nearly 15,000 overnight stays were recorded for Estonian visitors, even though the figure went down by 6.0 per cent from the previous year. The number of nights spent by Norwegian visitors rose to almost 12,000, which was 2.9 per cent more than in May 2015.

Among the most important countries of inbound tourism to Finland, overnight stays by Spanish and Dutch visitors decreased heavily in addition to Russians in May 2016. Close on 5,700 overnight stays were recorded for Spanish tourists at accommodation establishments, which was 16.7 per cent lower than one year before. Dutch visitors’ overnight stays decreased by 11.8 per cent, and their number was recorded at 8,700.

By region, the total number of overnight stays increased in May most in Central Ostrobothnia, up by 20.9 per cent and in Åland, by 19.9 per cent. Growth in Päijät-Häme amounted to 14.8 per cent. In Ostrobothnia and Kainuu, overnight stays increased by around 14 per cent in each. The biggest drop in overnight stays was recorded in Kymenlaakso, 15.6 per cent, and the number of overnight stays recorded in South Karelia was 13.4 per cent lower than over year earlier. Overnight stays in the whole country remained on level with the previous year.

Change in overnight stays in May by region 2016 / 2015, %

Overnight stays at hotels remained at last year's level in May

The total number of nights spent in hotels was good 1.1 million in May 2016, which was the same as one year before. The number of nights spent by both resident and foreign tourists also remained on level with the previous year. Altogether 808,000 overnight stays were recorded for resident tourists at hotels and good 327,000 nights for non-resident tourists.

The occupancy rate of hotel rooms in the whole country was 51.4 per cent in May. One year earlier, it was 49.9 per cent. Among the regions, the highest occupancy rates of hotel rooms were measured in Uusimaa, 69.2 per cent, and Varsinais-Suomi, 57.8 per cent. In Vantaa, the hotel room occupancy rate rose to 72.2 per cent and in Turku to 63.1 per cent. The hotel room occupancy rate in Helsinki was 75.1 per cent.

In May, the realised average price of a hotel room was EUR 94.10 per day for the whole country. Twelve months previously, it was EUR 90.53.

Hotel room occupancy rate and the monthly average price

Total number of nights spent at all accommodation establishments grew by 2.6 per cent in January to May

In January to May 2016, the number of nights spent at accommodation establishments in Finland totalled nearly 7.2 million. This was 2.6 per cent higher than in the corresponding period one year earlier. The number of nights spent by non-resident tourists increased by 4.2 per cent and that of nights spent by resident tourists by 2.0 per cent. Good 5.1 million overnight stays were recorded for resident tourists and nearly 2.1 million overnight stays for non-resident tourists.

Excluding Russia, nights spent at Finnish accommodation establishments by visitors from the most important countries of inbound tourism to Finland increased in the January to May period of 2016. Altogether 290,000 overnight stays were recorded for Russian visitors at Finnish accommodation establishments, which was 19.1 per cent down on the respective time period of last year. They were, however, by far the largest group of foreign visitors in January to May, as German visitors came next with good 188,000 overnight stays. Overnight stays of Germans went up by 2.4 per cent. Swedish and British tourists came third, each with 165,000 to 166,000 recorded nights spent at accommodation establishments. Overnight stays by British tourists increased by 1.5 per cent, while those by Swedish tourists grew only by 0.3 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.

Visitors from France spent nearly 128,000 nights at accommodation establishments. Their overnight stays increased by 11.4 per cent in January to May. Overnight stays by Dutch and Spanish visitors both increased by around 17 per cent. Dutch visitors spent good 86,000 nights at Finnish accommodation establishments, while Spanish visitors spent close on 38,000 nights. A total of 76,500 overnight stays were recorded for Estonian tourists, up by 1.3 per cent from the previous year. Visitors from the United States and Japan both spent 71,000 nights at accommodation establishments. The overnight stays of visitors from the United States increased by 11.9 per cent and those of Japanese visitors by 13.6 per cent from the previous year's corresponding period.

Among the most important countries of inbound tourism to Finland, overnight stays by Chinese visitors increased most during the January to May period. Nights spent by Chinese visitors rose to 59,000, which was 30.7 per cent more than in the same period twelve months earlier.

Change in overnight stays in January-May 2016/2015, %

Source: Accommodation Statistics. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marjut Tuominen 029 551 3556, Kari Keränen 029 551 3208, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Director in charge: Mari Ylä-Jarkko

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1.1. Capacity and its utilization, May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 1.2. Capacity and its utilization, January-May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 2.1. Nights spent in all establishments, May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 2.2. Nights spent in all establishments, January-May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 3.1. Hotel capacity and capacity utilization, May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 3.2. Hotel capacity and capacity utilization, January-May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 4.1. Nights spent in hotels, May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 4.2. Nights spent in hotels, January-May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 5.1. Visitor arrivals and nights spent by country of residence, May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 5.2. Visitor arrivals and nights spent by country of residence, January-May 2016 (14.7.2016)
• Appendix table 6. Nights spent in all establishments, 2016 (14.7.2016)

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Updated 14.7.2016