Foreign tourist inflow continues to rise

The number of nights spent by foreign tourists at Finnish accommodation establishments marked an 11.6 per cent year-on-year rise in July 2017, with nearly 802,000 nights recorded for them at the accommodation establishments, said the Statistics Finland.

The number of nights spent by domestic tourists at the establishments, however, went 0.6 per cent down, recording the number at slightly less than 2.3 million in July 2017.

A total of nearly 3.1 million overnight stays were recorded at Finnish accommodation establishments in July 2017, which was 2.3 per cent more than that in July 2016.

These figures are preliminary data collected by the Statistics Finland from accommodation establishments with at least 20 beds or caravan pitches with electricity connection.

Nearly 36,000 overnight stays were recorded for visitors from the USA, which was 34.4 per cent more than that in July 2016. The number of recorded nights spent by them was highest in Uusimaa, standing at nearly 27,000. Overnight stays recorded for British visitors increased by 27.2 per cent, standing at nearly 34,000 nights recorded at the accommodation establishments at the end of July 2017. Overnight stays by British tourists also took place mainly in Uusimaa, where 21,000 overnight stays were recorded for them. In all, the share of Uusimaa in all overnight stays by foreign tourists was a good 42 per cent.

The top three source countries remained unchanged from June; but the order changed. Swedish tourists were the largest group of foreign visitors with good 127,000 nights spent. Their overnight stays increased by 10.3 per cent from the year before. Germans were the second biggest group and nearly 97,000 overnight stays were recorded for them at Finnish accommodation establishments, which was 17.4 per cent more than that one year before.

Russians came third with good 88,000 nights spent, which was 15.3 per cent up on July 2016. Chinese and Norwegian visitors came next, with 39,000 overnight stays were recorded for Chinese visitors, which was 24.2 per cent more than that one year before. Nearly 36,000 overnight stays were recorded for Norwegian tourists. The number was 3.1 per cent higher than in July 2016.

Apart for a one per cent drop in overnight stays by Italian visitors, nights spent by visitors from the most important countries of inbound tourism to Finland increased in July. In addition to those mentioned above, overnight stays by Dutch visitors increased by one-fifth and those by Swiss, Estonian and Japanese tourists by 11 to 13 per cent from July 2016.

Examined by region, overnight stays increased in July the most in Päijät-Häme, up by 7.3 per cent. In Uusimaa, Varsinais-Suomi and Pirkanmaa, as well as in Pohjois-Savo and North Ostrobothnia, the growth in overnight stays was at around 5 per cent in each. In contrast, the total number of overnight stays decreased the most in Kanta-Häme, by 20.1 per cent, and in Central Ostrobothnia, by 8.9 per cent. In the whole country, overnight stays increased by 2.3 per cent from July 2016.