Domestic travel in Estonia reported a 8% increase in 2024, compared to the previous year, with 3.5 million overnight trips recorded, according to Statistics Estonia.
Outbound trips were up 2%, with 1.5 million overnight trips recorded, the data showed.
‘Two times higher’
“Last year, the number of domestic trips was again over two times higher than the number of outbound trips,” commented Piret Pukk, lead analyst at Statistics Estonia, who noted that Estonian residents have been travelling more in recent years.
“In 2019, Estonian residents made 1.7 million overnight outbound trips and 3.5 million overnight domestic trips. In 2024, the number of trips abroad was 9% smaller than in 2019, while the number of domestic trips was almost back at the pre-pandemic level.”
The majority (73%) of outbound trips were destined for the European Union, with Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Spain and Italy the most visited EU countries, and Türkiye the most popular non-EU destination.
In terms of domestic trips, travellers mostly visited Harju, Tartu, and Pärnu counties, followed by Ida-Viru, Saare, Võru, and Lääne counties.
Leisure and holiday travel remained the primary reasons for both domestic and outbound trips, accounting for 58%, with visits to family and friends accounting for 25%, and business travel accounting for 14%.
Domestic trips were generally shorter in duration, the data showed, with 91% lasting between one and three nights, while international trips had a more even distribution: 38% lasted one to three nights, 38% lasted four to seven nights, and 24% extended beyond a week.
Estonian residents tended to book rented accommodation when travelling abroad, with 7.5 million nights spent in rented accommodations, including 5 million nights in hotels and 2.5 million nights in other rented spaces.
Domestic travellers, meanwhile, were more likely to stay with family, friends, or in personal holiday homes.
“Non-rented accommodation was used for nearly 4.3 million nights during domestic trips last year,” Pukk added. “Rented accommodation was used for 3 million nights, with 66% of these spent in hotels or similar establishments.”
Average expenditure
The average expenditure on an outbound overnight trip was €1,102, with transportation (€380) and accommodation (€342) each representing about one-third of the total cost. In terms of domestic overnight trips, the average spend was €185.
There were 6.7 million domestic day trips – with no overnight stay – made in Estonia in 2024, with an average spend of €59 per trip. Additionally, 777,000 outbound day trips were recorded, with an average cost of €131 per trip. Read more here.
