• People from Estonia spent 225 million euros travelling abroad
• Visits to countries outside the European Union became more popular
• The number of trips to Estonia from Finland fell further
• Foreign tourists spent 220 million euros in Estonia in the first quarter of the year

Residents of Estonia visited foreign countries on 730,000 occasions in the first quarter of 2019, which was 4% less than a year earlier. Visits were down 6% to countries of the European Union, and people from Estonia made one fifth fewer visits to Austria, Lithuania and Poland. There was a notable increase in visits to Egypt, Norway, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

There were 4% fewer overnight visits, but their average length rose to four nights. Same-day trips accounted for 15% of the total, and they fell in number by 3%.

Tourists from Estonia spent an estimated 225 million euros abroad in the first quarter, which was 5 million euros more than in the same quarter of last year.

Around one million foreign visitors came to Estonia in the first quarter, which was 4% down on a year previously. Some 350,000 tourists came from Finland, but this was 7% fewer than a year before. There was a small rise in the number of visitors from elsewhere in the European Union, as 28% more tourists came from Belgium and 20% more from the Netherlands. There were 200,000 visits to Estonia by residents of Russia, which is 6% fewer than a year earlier, but still one fifth of all tourist visits.

There were 4% fewer overnight visitors to Estonia in the first quarter than in the same quarter of last year, and the average overnight visitor stayed for three nights.

Foreign tourists visiting Estonia spent an estimated 220 million euros in the first quarter, which is 5 million euros less than in the first quarter of 2018.

¹ All comparisons have been drawn on an annual basis, if not indicated otherwise.

Eesti Pank collects statistics on border crossings for its work in preparing the national balance of payments. The movement of travellers across borders has a noticeable effect on the export and import of travel services in the Estonian balance of payments, which will be published on 11 June 2019.

More detailed information can be found on the Eesti Pank website under International travel statistics.

Statistical releases are published by Eesti Pank together with statistical data. The release is independent of economic policy releases and is presented separately from them.