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Published: 30 May 2013

Tourism from abroad to Finland increased in 2012

In 2012, Finland received 7.6 million foreign visitors. The number of travellers grew by five per cent from the year 2011, or by nearly 400,000 visitors. Foreign visitors brought EUR 2.3 billion to Finland, which was approximately EUR 70 million or three per cent more than in the previous year. These data derive from the Border Interview Survey by Statistics Finland and Finnish Tourist Board.

Foreign passengers visiting Finland in 2008-2012

Country of residence	Year
	2008 (1000 pass.)	2009 (1000 pass.)	2010 (1000 pass.)	2011 (1000 pass.)	2012 (1000 pass.)	Change 2011-2012, per cent (%)
All visitors	6 072	5 695	6 182	7 260	7 636	5
Russia	2 331	2 192	2 561	3 261	3 578	10
Estonia	522	583	561	708	758	7
Sweden	765	753	712	681	702	3
Germany	376	332	363	399	342	–14
Great Britain	316	267	263	278	273	–2
Norway	187	160	195	216	235	9
United States	114	104	89	121	174	44
Japan	105	142	109	150	143	–5
France	120	94	132	145	127	–12

Visitors from Russia made up the largest visitor group. Forty-seven per cent of the visitors, or approximately 3.6 million visitors in total, came from Russia. Compared with the previous year, travel from Russia to Finland increased by ten per cent. The second largest group of visitors came from Estonia. The number of visitors from Estonia grew by seven per cent from the previous year. During the year, a total of 758,000 Estonian visitors travelled to Finland and their share of the total number of passengers was ten per cent. For the second year in a row, the number of Estonian visitors exceeded that of Swedish visitors.

In 2012, 55 per cent of the foreign visitors to Finland were on a leisure trip. The number of leisure trips increased by ten per cent from the previous year. Ten per cent came to visit friends or relatives. Their number decreased by 12 per cent from the previous year. Twenty-one per cent of all foreign visitors to Finland came on business. The number of business trips increased by eight per cent from the previous year, but the share of business travellers in the total number of travellers has decreased in the past five years. Nine per cent of the travellers were on a transit trip through Finland.

One-half of the foreign visitors to Finland stayed at hotels or motels in 2012. The number of foreigners staying at hotels grew by two per cent from the year before. Foreigners stayed an average of 4.1 nights in Finland. Forty-five per cent of the trips to Finland did not include an overnight stay. Visitors from Russia made the highest number of same-day visits to Finland; over two-thirds of visitors living in Russia did not stay overnight in Finland. In terms of total number, visitors from Estonia and Russia spent the most nights in Finland, however.

During their visit to Finland, foreign travellers spent an average of EUR 300 in 2012. The total expenditure of visitors per trip was two per cent lower than in the year before. The highest sums of money per visit were used by Polish travellers, EUR 638, on average. Foreign travellers spent EUR 59 per day, on average. This sum was almost the same as in the previous year. The largest amount of money per day was used by visitors living in Japan and Russia. Japanese travellers spent, on average, EUR 126 and Russians EUR 120 per day.

The number of foreign workers at places of work in Finland increased clearly in 2012

In the Border Interview Survey, foreign passengers were asked whether they had a place of work in Finland. The question was presented if the target person lived permanently outside Finland and his or her main reason for visiting Finland was business. Foreign passengers who had lived or would live in Finland for more than 12 months were not interviewed in the survey. Moreover, visitors who had a place of work in Finland were asked how many times they had been to Finland during the last 12 months, how many nights they had spent in Finland, what type of accommodation they had used and how much money they had spent during this visit.

Foreign passengers travelling to a place of work in Finland in 2008–2012 and their number of trips to Finland in 2012

Country of residence	Year
	2008 (1000 persons)	2009 (1000 persons)	2010 (1000 persons)	2011 (1000 persons)	2012 (1000 persons)	2012 (1000 visits)
All passengers	35,9	43,6	39,2	41,1	58,9	317,2
Estonia	17,9	20,8	12,8	20,9	30,0	234,8
Poland	0,9	2,7	2,6	2,4	6,5	12,8
Sweden	0,7	1,8	2,8	0,8	5,5	18,1
Russia	6,8	7,5	8,5	3,1	4,7	17,8
Other countries	9,5	10,9	12,5	13,9	12,3	33,7

According to the Border Interview Survey, in 2012 there were approximately 59,000 persons working in Finland, whose permanent country of residence was other than Finland. This was more than 40 per cent more than in the previous year. In 2012, about 30,000 persons with a place of work in Finland had their permanent residence in Estonia, 6,500 employees in Poland, 5,500 in Sweden and 4,700 in Russia. Foreign passengers travelled to Finland because of their place of work in Finland 317,000 times in total. About three quarters, 235,000 trips, were from Estonia. Approximately 18,000 visits were made from both Sweden and Russia.

Source: Border Interview Survey 2012, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Jyrki Krzywacki 09 1734 2701, rajahaastattelut@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (240.4 kB)

Tables

Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Main reasons for foreign passengers to visit Finland in 2012 (30.5.2013)
• Appendix table 2. Length of stay by foreign passengers in Finland in 2012 (30.5.2013)
• Appendix table 3. Foreign passengers' length of stay in Finland, by country of residence, in 2012 (30.5.2013)
• Appendix table 4. Types of accommodation used by foreign passengers in Finland in 2012 (30.5.2013)
• Appendix table 5. Expenditure by foreign passengers in Finland in 2012 (30.5.2013)
• Appendix table 6. Expenditure by foreign passengers in Finland in 2012, by country of residence (30.5.2013)

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Updated 30.5.2013