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Published: 5 February 2016

Trips to the Mediterranean and Estonia increased in September to December 2015

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, Finnish residents made more domestic trips with paid accommodation in late 2015 than in the year before. Cruises to Sweden and same-day cruises to Estonia also increased from the corresponding period of the previous year. In the Mediterranean, Greece particularly increased its popularity, but Turkey did not attract Finnish tourists in the same way as in the previous year. Considerably more Finnish residents travelled to Asia than in the autumn before.

Finns' leisure trips in September to December 2003 to 2015*

Finns' leisure trips in September to December 2003 to 2015*

In the last four months of 2015, Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 made 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.

Altogether 7.8 million domestic leisure trips with overnight stay were made in the September to December period. Of these, six million were trips with free accommodation. Leisure trips with overnight stay at paid accommodation numbered 1.8 million and their most population destinations were located in Uusimaa, Lapland, Pirkanmaa and North Ostrobothnia.

At paid accommodation, a tourist stays at a rented cottage, hotel or campsite. In these leisure trips, overnight stays were mainly in hotels. The number of hotel stays was 2.5 million, which is 59 per cent of paid accommodation. Rented cottages also popular in the autumn and in the early part of winter. The number of stays at rented cottages was 1.2 million, which is 29 per cent of all paid accommodation.

The number of trips with paid accommodation recorded in the statistics in September to December was 11 per cent higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year. December was the most popular month for domestic travelling towards the end of the year as then 487,000 trips with paid overnight stay were made.

Uusimaa kept its top position as the region of travel. The numbers of trips to Lapland went down from the previous year's autumn season. In contrast, trips to North Ostrobothnia increased by 11 per cent from the corresponding period of the previous year.

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 number of leisure trips abroad went up by eight per cent from the previous year's autumn season. October was the most popular month for overnight and same-day cruises.

Leisure trips to Estonia increased from autumn 2014. Trips with overnight stay in the destination country to our southern neighbour numbered 459,000, overnight cruises 116,000 and same-day cruises 208,000. Trips with stay in the destination country, cruises with overnight stay on board and same-day cruises to Estonia increased. September was the most popular month of the period to visit Estonia.

Leisure trips to Sweden decreased from autumn 2014. The number of trips with overnight stay in the destination country to our western neighbour was 166,000 and overnight cruises 272,000 in September to December. The most favoured month for travelling to Sweden in late 2015 was December.

The total number of leisure trips to Russia continued to contract. Trips with overnight stay in the destination country increased, but the numbers of same-day trips to Russia decreased considerably from the corresponding period of last year.

Spain is a long-standing favourite for Finns during the autumn months as well, and three per cent more trips were made to Spain than in the corresponding period in 2014. The destination of 116,000 of these trips was the Canary Islands. Continental Spain has also established its place as a destination for Finnish travel in the last four months of the year, and a total of 133,000 trips were made to Continental Spain and the Balearic Islands in September to December. December was the most popular of the four months to travel to the Canary Islands and October to Continental Spain.

Altogether, 87,000 trips were made to Greece, which is 66 per cent more than one year earlier. September was clearly the most popular month for travelling to Greece. In all, 72,000 trips were made in the autumn period to Turkey, which is 18 per cent lower than in the same period in the year before.

In Central Europe, Germany increased its popularity. The number of trips made there was 111,000, which is 24 per cent more than in September to December 2014.

Of long-distance destinations, Asia increased its popularity considerably. The number of trips to the American continent also went up from the previous year's autumn.

If we examine only leisure trips with overnight stay in the destination country, ten per cent more trips, or 1.9 million, were made than in September to December 2014. September was the most popular month for these, as then the number of trips abroad with overnight stay in the destination country was 511,000.

One-quarter of the trips with overnight stay in the destination country were headed to Estonia and one-fifth to the northern coast of the Mediterranean.

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 domestic business trips went down by seven per cent and that of business trips abroad by three per cent.

These data derive from Statistics Finland's Finnish Travel survey, for which altogether 5,022 Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 were interviewed in October, November and December 2015 and in January 2016. Until 2011, data were collected from those aged 15 to 74.


Source: Finnish Travel, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Taru Tamminen 029 551 2243, Teemu Okkonen 029 551 2634, liikenne.matkailu@stat.fi

Director in charge: Mari Ylä-Jarkko

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Updated 5.2.2016

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Finnish Travel [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-9027. Summer (1.9.-31.12) 2015. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 5.11.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/smat/2015/15/smat_2015_15_2016-02-05_tie_001_en.html