Overview
Hiiu county had a difficult May 2026, with guests accommodated falling sharply to 1.7 th, down 35.0% year over year, while nights spent declined a more moderate 15.3% to 3.3 th. The gap between these two figures is telling: even though fewer people visited, those who did stayed noticeably longer, pushing average nights per guest up 30.3% to 1.96. Domestic travellers made up the bulk of visitors at 1.4 th, dwarfing the 268 foreign guests recorded. Looking at the broader picture, the year-to-date total of 4.6 th guests for January–May is down 23.6% on last year, showing the monthly weakness is part of a sustained slowdown rather than an isolated dip. Hiiu's share of Estonia's total guest volume this period stood at just 0.5%, reflecting its position as one of the smallest markets nationally. The combination of falling volumes but rising stay length suggests a smaller, more committed visitor base this year.
Operator view
Statistikaamet's data on regional occupancy, pricing, and visitors — compare your county or city against the Estonian average.
Estonia — by year (2020–2026 May)
| Indicator | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 May | 2025 May | 2026 May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodated in Estonia | 2.0M | 2.1M | 3.3M | 3.4M | 3.6M | 3.7M | 293.4k | 304.2k | 320.3k |
| — change (YoY) | ▼ 48.0% | ▲ 8.4% | ▲ 52.1% | ▲ 5.3% | ▲ 5.4% | ▲ 2.3% | ▲ 10.8% | ▲ 3.7% | ▲ 5.3% |
| Cumulative (Jan–May) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.2M | 1.2M | 1.3M |
| — change (YoY) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ▲ 2.1% | ▲ 2.1% | ▲ 5.1% |
| Accommodation establishments | 937 | 889 | 944 | 938 | 933 | 915 | 1.0k | 1.0k | 1.1k |
| Rooms | 19.3k | 19.8k | 21.1k | 21.0k | 21.1k | 22.1k | 22.4k | 23.2k | 23.5k |
| Occupancy | 24.8% | 29.0% | 42.3% | 45.0% | 46.6% | 45.7% | 47.0% | 47.0% | 49.0% |
| ARR | 30.75 € | 32.58 € | 41.50 € | 46.08 € | 46.67 € | 49.67 € | 49.00 € | 54.00 € | 54.00 € |
| — change (YoY) | ▼ 20.5% | ▲ 6.0% | ▲ 27.4% | ▲ 11.0% | ▲ 1.3% | ▲ 6.4% | ▲ 0.0% | ▲ 10.2% | ▲ 0.0% |
| RevPAR* | 7.64 € | 9.45 € | 17.57 € | 20.74 € | 21.74 € | 22.68 € | 23.03 € | 25.38 € | 26.46 € |
| — change (YoY) | ▼ 57.8% | ▲ 23.7% | ▲ 85.9% | ▲ 18.0% | ▲ 4.8% | ▲ 4.3% | ▲ 6.8% | ▲ 10.2% | ▲ 4.3% |
Hiiu county vs. Estonia — by year (2020–2026 May)
- Estonia total
- Hiiu county share, %
- Occupancy, %
- Average nightly rate, €
- RevPAR, €
| Indicator | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 May | 2025 May | 2026 May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodated: Hiiu county | 23.9k | 26.2k | 28.4k | 30.4k | 30.1k | 28.6k | 2.5k | 2.6k | 1.7k |
| — change (YoY) | ▲ 3.0% | ▲ 9.9% | ▲ 8.3% | ▲ 7.1% | ▼ 1.0% | ▼ 5.1% | ▲ 41.1% | ▲ 4.1% | ▼ 35.0% |
| Cumulative (Jan–May) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5.2k | 6.0k | 4.6k |
| — change (YoY) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ▲ 9.5% | ▲ 15.4% | ▼ 23.6% |
| Hiiu county share of Estonia | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| Accommodation establishments | 37 | 39 | 41 | 40 | 38 | 35 | 45 | 42 | 41 |
| Rooms | 317 | 342 | 339 | 313 | 319 | 311 | 377 | 360 | 363 |
| Occupancy | 14.9% | 19.0% | 19.2% | 18.3% | 19.2% | 20.3% | 23.0% | 24.0% | 20.0% |
| ARR | 26.08 € | 27.83 € | 32.00 € | 35.17 € | 36.42 € | 38.67 € | 31.00 € | 40.00 € | 52.00 € |
| — change (YoY) | ▲ 0.3% | ▲ 6.7% | ▲ 15.0% | ▲ 9.9% | ▲ 3.6% | ▲ 6.2% | ▼ 18.4% | ▲ 29.0% | ▲ 30.0% |
| RevPAR* | 3.89 € | 5.29 € | 6.13 € | 6.42 € | 6.98 € | 7.83 € | 7.13 € | 9.60 € | 10.40 € |
| — change (YoY) | ▼ 9.8% | ▲ 35.9% | ▲ 16.0% | ▲ 4.6% | ▲ 8.8% | ▲ 12.2% | ▲ 34.0% | ▲ 34.6% | ▲ 8.3% |
| Top 1 country of origin | Latvia(520) | Finland(328) | Finland(1.3k) | Finland(1.3k) | Finland(1.3k) | Finland(1.3k) | Finland(153) | Finland(202) | Finland(108) |
| Top 2 country of origin | Finland(230) | Latvia(302) | Latvia(742) | Latvia(628) | Latvia(1.0k) | Latvia(1.1k) | Latvia(105) | Latvia(63) | Latvia(65) |
| Top 3 country of origin | Germany(96) | Germany(89) | Germany(192) | Germany(226) | Germany(297) | Germany(309) | Lithuania(12) | Sweden(30) | Lithuania(32) |
| Top 4 country of origin | Lithuania(52) | Spain(40) | Lithuania(90) | Lithuania(95) | Lithuania(126) | Lithuania(148) | Germany(7) | Germany(28) | Sweden(13) |
| Top 5 country of origin | Spain(0) | Lithuania(21) | United States(34) | Sweden(67) | France(70) | Sweden(119) | Spain(0) | Lithuania(25) | Germany(11) |
Estonia — 2026 May vs 2025 May
| Guests accommodated | 320.3k | ▲ 5.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation establishments | 1.1k | — |
| Rooms | 23.5k | — |
| Occupancy | 49.0% | — |
| ARR | 54.00 € | ▲ 0.0% |
| RevPAR* | 26.46 € | ▲ 4.3% |
Top 5 foreign visitor origin countries — Hiiu county (last 12 months)
Map & seasonality
Over the past 24 months, Harju county accumulated the most overnight stays nationwide, totalling 7.4 million nights, underlining the capital region's dominant position in Estonian tourism. Finland remained the top country of origin for foreign visitors over the last 12 months, contributing 671.3 th guests, reflecting continued strong interest from Estonia's northern neighbour. For context, the latest month, May 2026, saw 135.2 th domestic guests against 185.1 th foreign guests, with foreign visitors clearly outnumbering domestic ones. This split highlights how reliant Estonian tourism remains on international, particularly Finnish, visitors.
Nights spent by county (last 24 months combined)
Estonian residents vs. foreign visitors (last 24 months)
- Estonian residents
- Foreign visitors
Seasonality: guests accommodated by month and year
Purpose & duration
Over the past 24 months, leisure travel clearly dominated as the main purpose of trips, accounting for 58% of all nights spent, far outweighing other travel motivations. In the first quarter of 2026, combining both domestic and foreign trips, the most common trip duration was 1 to 3 nights, with 590.8 th such trips recorded. This points to a strong preference for short getaways rather than extended stays, suggesting many visitors favour brief breaks, possibly weekend trips, over longer holiday periods when travelling within or into Estonia.
Nights spent by purpose of travel (last 24 months)
- Holiday trip
- Business trip
- Participation in conference, training
- Other business trip
- Other trip
Trip duration, domestic vs. foreign (2026 Q1)
- Domestic trips
- Foreign trips
Capacity
In 2025 Estonia had a total of 61.1 th beds available for accommodation, a striking 9.9x increase compared with 1992, reflecting decades of steady growth in the sector's capacity. Yet despite this expansion, bed occupancy stood at just 35.0% in 2025, meaning most of the available capacity went unused. The gap between supply and actual usage suggests accommodation providers have considerable room to fill before capacity constraints become a concern, with plenty of unused beds available for future visitor growth.
Travel expenses
In 2025, Estonians spent an average of €163 per domestic trip, down 11.9% compared with the previous year. This decline suggests travellers were spending more cautiously or taking shorter, cheaper trips. Accommodation remained the largest single expense category, averaging €49 per trip, forming a substantial share of total spending. The drop in average outlay indicates that while domestic tourism trips may continue, the amount of money flowing through them has contracted meaningfully year-on-year, with accommodation costs still commanding the biggest slice of the travel budget.
Domestic trip spending by purpose (euros, last 8 quarters)
- Professional, business
- Holidays, leisure and recreation
- Visits to friends and relatives
- Other