Estonia Experiences Persistent Upward Trend in Foreign Tourism, but Finnish Visitors Dip for the Sixth Straight Month
Overall foreign visitors to Estonia are increasing, yet Finnish arrivals continue to decline in 2025, according to Statistics Estonia data.
Establishments accommodated 291,000 visitors in October 2025, up 6% from October 2024, the latest figures show.
Across all visitors, 52% (153,000) were from abroad and 48% (138,000) were domestic travelers.
Helga Laurmaa, the lead analyst at Statistics Estonia, noted that foreign tourism has grown in most months this year.
"Compared with October 2024, foreign visitors rose by 7% in October 2025. When measured against pre-pandemic levels, foreign tourism is down by 12%." Laurmaa explained.
Domestic tourism, on the other hand, climbed, with a 5% year-over-year rise, surpassing October 2019’s pre-pandemic level by nearly 20%.
Finnish visitors remain the largest foreign segment but declined for the sixth consecutive month. In October, Estonia hosted 55,000 visitors from Finland, representing 36% of all foreign visitors staying in accommodations.
"Even though Finns remained the largest group, their numbers fell by 4% in October, marking a year-on-year decrease for the sixth month straight," Laurmaa added.
Other notable sources included Latvia with nearly 26,000 tourists (17%), and Germany with about 9,000 (6%). Several countries—Latvia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and various Asian nations—saw higher October figures compared to the previous year.
As usual, Harju County, home to Tallinn, hosts the largest share of both foreign and domestic visitors.
Prices for accommodation rose by 4% year over year, according to the statistics agency.
Controversy-ready note: The persistent Finnish decline contrasts with a general uptick in foreign visitors—does this imply shifting travel preferences or broader regional dynamics at play? And with domestic tourism surpassing pre-pandemic levels, should Estonia reevaluate its tourism strategy to sustain growth amidst mixed foreign trends? Your thoughts in the comments.
