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Published: 7 October 2016

Finns travelled in Finland and neighbouring countries in the summer of 2016

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, Finnish residents travelled eagerly to both Estonia and Sweden in May to August 2016. The number of trips made to Great Britain and Croatia also grew from the year before. The number of trips to Turkey absolutely plummeted. Russia regained its allure and after a couple of quieter years travel to the eastern neighbour returned to normal levels. More trips with paid accommodation were made in Finland than in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Finns' leisure trips in May to August 2003 to 2016*

Finns' leisure trips in May to August 2003 to 2016*

In the second four months of 2016, Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 made around 16 million trips when domestic and foreign leisure trips, as well as business and professional trips are included. In addition to trips with overnight stays, same-day trips abroad are also included in the number of trips.

Eleven million domestic leisure trips with overnight stay were made in the May to August period. Eight million of them were trips with free accommodation, which is the same as in May to August 2015.

Leisure trips with overnight stay at paid accommodation numbered 2.9 million and their most population destinations were Uusimaa, Pirkanmaa and North Ostrobothnia. Uusimaa kept its top position as the region of travel in summer. In all, the number of domestic trips with paid accommodation was six per cent higher than in May to August of the previous year.

In all, 3.4 million leisure trips were made abroad in May to August. The figure includes trips with overnight stay in the destination country, cruises and same-day trips. Of the leisure trips abroad, 2,633,000 were trips with overnight stay in the destination country and 329,000 were cruises with overnight stay on board only. Nearly all cruises were made to Sweden or Estonia. In May to August, 419,000 same-day trips were made abroad, of which one-half were same-day cruises to Estonia.

In summer, leisure trips were made mostly by boat or air. The number of trips by sea was 1.5 million and that of trips by air was 1.3 million.

Leisure trips to Estonia increased from summer 2015. Trips with overnight stay in the destination country to our southern neighbour numbered 739,000, overnight cruises 135,000 and same-day cruises 206,000. Same-day cruises decreased from the corresponding period of last year, but trips including overnight stay in the country of destination and cruises with overnight stay on board increased.

Leisure trips to Sweden also increased from summer 2015. The number of trips with overnight stay in the destination country headed to our western neighbour was 377,000, overnight cruises 192,000 and same-day trips 85,000.

Leisure trips to Russia rose to their previous level after a dip in 2014 to 2015. Trips to Russia that included overnight stay in the country of destination went up by 28 per cent and that of same-day trips by as much as 143 per cent from the corresponding period in 2015.

Leisure trips to western Central Europe decreased. Finns’ favourites, France and Germany, lost in popularity. By contrast, Great Britain increased its popularity among Finnish travellers.

Unlike the west, eastern Central Europe interested Finnish travellers more in summer than one year ago. The number of leisure trips to the Czech Republic and particularly to Poland increased.

Finns also travelled from the varying Finnish summer weather to destinations in Southern Europe with better chances for sunshine. A total of 521,000 trips were made to northern Mediterranean countries, which figure was still lower than in May to August 2015.

Clearly more trips were made to Croatia than in the summer of 2015 and the number of trips there nearly doubled.

The number of trips to other Mediterranean favourites, Spain, Italy and Greece, decreased from the corresponding period in 2015. The number of trips to Turkey plummeted and fewer than one-half of trips were made this year compared to summer 2015.

Outside Europe, the United States increased its popularity and the number of trips increased by 65 per cent.

Trips with overnight stay in the destination country rose in total by seven per cent from last year's May to August period.

Package tours are not more popular in summer than in any other time of the year. Thirty-seven per cent of trips to Estonia with overnight stay in the destination country were package tours. Of trips made to Greece, 83 per cent were package tours and of trips made to Croatia, 46 per cent. Only part of the trips to Spain and Italy were package tours. Around 15 per cent of trips to Spain and 25 per cent of those to Italy were package tours.

Although two in three of holiday nights abroad were spent in hotels, people also stay with friends and relatives particularly in summer, because one in seven of holiday nights spent abroad were at friends and relatives.

Leisure travel is clearly livelier in the summer season than in other times of the year. Clearly more domestic trips with paid accommodation are made during summer, as well as domestic overnight trips with free accommodation. When travelling abroad, the number of trips with overnight stay in the destination country increased but no peak is visible in the number of cruises and same-day trips during summer.

In addition to leisure trips, one 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 0.5 million. Domestic business trips went down by four per cent and business trips abroad by 10 per cent from last year.

These data derive from Statistics Finland's Finnish Travel survey for which altogether 4,747 Finnish residents aged 15 to 84 were interviewed in June, July, August and September. 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 7.10.2016

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Finnish Travel [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-9027. Summer (1.5.-31.8) 2016. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 21.12.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/smat/2016/14/smat_2016_14_2016-10-07_tie_001_en.html