Home > Statistics > Finnish Travel > 2013 > Autumn (1.9.-31.12.2013) > Cruises to Estonia and Sweden popular among Finns in September to December 2013

Published: 5 February 2014

Cruises to Estonia and Sweden popular among Finns in September to December 2013

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, Finnish residents made the same number of domestic leisure trips with paid accommodation and leisure trips abroad with overnight stays in the destination country in late 2013 as in the year before. However, overnight cruises to Sweden and day cruises to Estonia increased from the corresponding period of the previous year by 17 and 16 per cent, respectively. Trips to the Canary Islands in Spain grew by good five per cent.

Finns' leisure trips, cumulative accumulation monthly 2010-2013*

In the last third of 2013, Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 made more than 12 million trips when all domestic and foreign leisure trips, as well as business and professional trips are included. In addition to trips with overnight stay, the number also includes same-day trips abroad.

Around 7.7 million domestic leisure trips with overnight stay were made in the September to December period. Of these, six million were trips with free accommodation. Trips with overnight stay at paid accommodation numbered 1.7 million, and their most popular destinations were located in Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa and Lapland. The number of trips with paid accommodation recorded in the statistics was 0.2 per cent higher than in September to December of the previous year.

September was the most popular month for domestic travelling towards the end of 2013 as then good half a million tips with paid overnight stay were made.

Inclusive of trips with overnight stay in the destination country, cruises and same-day trips, leisure trips abroad numbered 2.5 million in the September to December period.

The neighbouring countries of Estonia and Sweden attract Finnish leisure travellers irrespective of the season. In the last four months of the year, 813,000 trips were made to Estonia, which was eight per cent more than one year earlier. Of these, close on 60 per cent were trips with overnight stay in the destination country, one-quarter were day cruises and one-fifth cruises with overnight stay on board. December was the most popular month of the period to visit Estonia.

During the autumn months, 560,000 leisure trips were made to Sweden, which was ten per cent more than in the corresponding period in 2012. More than one-half of these trips were cruises with only overnight stay on board and good one-third were trips with overnight stay in the destination country. One in ten of the trips were same-day trips. The most favoured month for travelling to Sweden in late 2013 was October.

Spain is a long-standing favourite for Finns during autumn months as well, and 6.6 per cent more trips were made to Spain than in the corresponding period in 2012. Of the trips to Spain, 125,000 were to the Canary Islands and 105,000 to Continental Spain and the Balearic Islands. December was the most popular of the four months to travel both to the Canary Islands and to Continental Spain.

Altogether, 95,000 trips were made to Turkey, which was 32 per cent more than one year earlier. A total of 92,000 leisure trips with overnight stay in the destination country were made to Russia, i.e. 20 per cent fewer than in the corresponding period in 2012.

If we only examine leisure trips with overnight stay in the destination country, the same number of trips were made as in September to December 2012, or 1.8 million. October was also by a whisker the most popular month for travelling abroad, as then the number of trips abroad with overnight stay in the destination country was 488,000.

In addition to leisure trips, 1.4 million domestic business or professional trips were made. Business or professional trips abroad (inclusive of trips with overnight stay in the destination country, cruises and same-day trips) numbered 0.7 million. The number of business trips in Finland decreased by six per cent, but the number of business trips abroad remained on a par with last year.

These data derive from Statistics Finland's Finnish Travel survey, for which altogether 5,566 Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 were interviewed in October, November and December 2013 and in January 2014. Until 2011, data were collected from those aged 15 to 74.

Source: Finnish Travel, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Taru Tamminen 09 1734 2243, Mervi Härkönen 09 1734 3254, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Director in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Trips of Finnish residents and changes in them in September-December 2013* (5.2.2014)
• Appendix table 2. Domestic leisure trips by destination region in September-December 2013* (5.2.2014)
• Appendix table 3. Means of transport used on domestic trips in September-December 2013* (5.2.2014)
• Appendix table 4. Leisure trips abroad (overnight in destination country) by destination in September-December 2013* and 2012 (5.2.2014)
• Appendix table 5. Trips abroad by reason and destination in September-December 2013* 1) (5.2.2014)
• Appendix table 6. Trips to Sweden and Estonia in September-December 2013* and 2012 (5.2.2014)

Quality descriptions

• Quality description: Finnish Travel 2013 (5.2.2014)

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Updated 5.2.2014