Literaat kauplus-restoran
According to data from Statistics Estonia for 2025, spending by foreign tourists in Estonia increased by 10% year-over-year, and the number of foreign tourists rose by 5%. At the same time, tourism’s share of Estonia’s exports has declined compared to the pre-pandemic period, indicating that the sector’s recovery is continuing, albeit at a slower pace than the rest of the economy.
In 2025, Estonia’s exports of tourism services totaled 2.21 billion euros, marking a 1% increase from the previous year. Compared to 2019, growth was 7%, but prices have risen by nearly 47% over the same period. This means that, in real terms, the recovery in tourism revenue has been significantly more modest.
Tourism’s share of Estonia’s total exports has fallen from 10% to 7%, and its share of service exports has fallen from 29% to 16%. This is due not only to the slower recovery of the tourism sector, but also to the fact that other types of services have grown more rapidly during the same period, while exports of passenger transport have declined.
“Tourism hasn’t disappeared, but its role in Estonia’s exports has declined. This means that simply increasing the number of visitors isn’t enough—we need greater economic impact, better accessibility, and a stronger position in international competition,” emphasized Asmik Tsaturjan, CEO of the Estonian Association of Tourism and Travel Agencies.
In his view, more targeted efforts are needed to strengthen the competitiveness of Estonia’s tourism sector, encourage visitors to spend more, and develop transportation links, all of which are crucial for the growth of tourism exports.
Tsaturjan added that, compared to the pre-pandemic period, the composition of foreign tourists visiting Estonia has changed significantly. The share of Finnish tourists has decreased by 16% over the past six years, and the share of Russian tourists has fallen by as much as 94%. At the same time, the number of Latvian tourists increased by 54% and the number of U.S. tourists by 25%.
“Looking at the big picture, the number of foreign tourists visiting Estonia in 2025 was only one-tenth lower than in 2019, and compared to last year, the number grew by 5%. This shows that the recovery is continuing, but the market landscape is significantly more diverse than before,” Tsaturjan noted.
The trends over the past year showed an increase in visitor numbers across several foreign markets. Over the course of the year, the number of tourists from Asia, the U.S., and Spain increased by about one-fifth. The number of tourists from Germany, the U.K., Italy, France, Switzerland, Poland, Latvia, and Sweden rose by 10–15% compared to the previous year.
“The growing diversity in the geographic origin of foreign tourists is a good sign for the sector’s development, as excessive dependence on one or two key markets increases risks. It is encouraging to see that more and more visitors are discovering Estonia, both from neighboring countries and from more distant markets,” added Tsaturjan.
Estonia’s tourism service exports consist of spending by foreign tourists in Estonia and revenue from passenger transport. It was precisely tourists’ on-site spending that showed strong growth in 2025: foreign visitors spent 1.65 billion euros in Estonia, which is 10% more than the previous year. Of this amount, 34%—or 563 million euros—was spent by visitors from Finland. Latvian tourists ranked second with 10%—or 160 million euros—and German tourists ranked third with 6%—or 106 million euros.
In 2025, tourists spent 6.7 million nights in Estonian lodging establishments, which was 1% more than in 2024. Foreign tourists spent 3.8 million nights in our lodging establishments, which was 4% more than the previous year. Domestic overnight stays by Estonian residents totaled 2.9 million, or 2% fewer than in 2024. Compared to the record level of 2023, overnight stays by Estonian residents at domestic accommodations were down 3% in 2025.
The overall performance of the tourism sector was held back by a decline in passenger transport exports. Revenue generated by Estonian transportation companies from international travelers fell by 17% year-over-year, primarily due to the aviation sector, where export revenue dropped by 22%. “The reason for this is more of a statistical shift in the aviation sector due to Nordica’s bankruptcy, which is not reflected in the actual number of flights or passengers,” commented Tsaturjan.
The decline in shipping companies’ revenues, which was approximately 10%, also had an impact, but a positive shift can be seen here as well: the number of cruise tourists increased by 46% year-over-year. “At the same time, the growth in tourism exports was not driven by higher spending by foreign visitors, as this was primarily due to high inflation. Other service sectors simply grew faster,” added Tsaturjan. Overall, the 2025 data show that the recovery of Estonia’s tourism sector is continuing, the origin of visitors is becoming more diverse, and on-site spending by foreign tourists is increasing. However, to strengthen the sector’s role in exports, it is necessary to continue improving international accessibility and to support tourism services with higher added value.