Analytics, Baltic States – CIS, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Tourism

There were 10% fewer visits to Estonia by non-residents in the first quarter than in the first quarter of 2014. While in the first quarter of 2015, the figure was 1,005,182, at the same tine last year it was 1,248,092, informs LETA.

The biggest change was in the number of tourists coming from Russia to Estonia, which was 140,000 lower than a year before. There was also a fall in the number of visits from Finland, but the numbers coming from Germany, the USA and China increased.

There were 3% fewer visits by Estonian residents to foreign countries than in the same quarter of the previous year. While in the first quarter of 2015, the figure was 834,657, at the same time last year it was 867,042. The number of multi-day trips was the same, but there were one tenth fewer single-day trips.

The main reason for both falls was that there were 20,000 fewer visits to Finland than a year ago. There were also slightly fewer trips to other neighbouring countries than in the first quarter of last year.

The movement of travellers has a noticeable effect on the export and import of travel services in the Estonian balance of payments. The balance of payments statistics for the first quarter of this year will be published on 9 June.