Strong summer for tourism in Helsinki – More overnight stays compared to last summer’s record-breaking numbers

In July, the number of overnight stays by tourists in Helsinki rose by 5 per cent compared with the previous year. A total of 334,707 overnight stays by foreign tourists were recorded, which was 10.6 per cent more than the record-breaking figures for the previous summer.

August was also a strong month for tourism, with almost 594,679 overnight stays recorded. The number of overnight stays increased by 3.7 per cent compared with August 2025, driven by international tourists (+9.6%).

“July and August saw a clear rise in average hotel room rates and revenue per room, which was welcome news for Helsinki’s accommodation service providers. Helsinki’s room capacity has grown over the course of the year. The average occupancy rate during the summer months was 75.9 per cent, and on the best days it exceeded 90 per cent.,” commented Nina Vesterinen, the City of Helsinki’s Tourism Director.

However, the ongoing global uncertainties and the economic situation impacted tourism figures from the whole summer. The hotel capacity in Helsinki has grown significantly in recent years, but demand has not grown at the same pace. This is reflected in occupancy rates, room rates and revenue per room, where Helsinki lags behind the other Nordic capitals.

“We can be quite satisfied with the summer’s tourism numbers, despite all the uncertainties. June was clearly the month for domestic tourism, while record-breaking numbers of international tourists discovered Helsinki in July and August. Our aim is to make tourism and events in Helsinki a more year-round operation and to encourage our visitors to stay in Helsinki for longer. In July, we could already see a slight increase in the length of stays of our international guests,” Vesterinen says.

Summertime Helsinki attracted both domestic and international tourists

The number of domestic tourists in Helsinki rose by 8.2 per cent in June and July, with over 300,000 tourists visiting Helsinki during this period. The actual figure is even higher than this, as many people stay with friends or relatives or in short-term accommodation. Some people only come to Helsinki for a day trip.

The largest numbers of international tourists arriving in Helsinki came from the United States, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan. Growth came, in particular, from the other Nordic countries and from the long-distance markets of the United States and Canada.

On the other hand, Asian markets fell slightly compared with the previous year. This trend was the result of changes to flight routes and airfares, in particular.

Air travel to Helsinki has been growing throughout the year. The number of international passengers arriving at Helsinki Airport increased by 4.9 per cent between January and August.

In air travel, too, the busiest month of the summer was July, with 788,830 international passengers arriving in Helsinki – 6.8 per cent more than the previous year. Based on advance bookings, the number of air passengers looks set to rise for the rest of the year as well.

The number of international cruise passengers rose by almost 40 per cent between January and August compared with the same period last year. Summer was a busy season for cruise travel, too: 85 cruise ships called at Helsinki between May and August.

“This summer, we also had our first ‘turnaround’ cruises in Helsinki, meaning that the passengers change over in Helsinki. These cruise passengers stay overnight in Helsinki and also spend money on other services. We had nine of these turnaround cruise ships calling at our port this summer, and hopefully we will see even more of them in the future," says Nina Vesterinen. 

Helsinki’s range of services receives praise

Tourists have been very satisfied with Helsinki’s tourist services. The reviews submitted via peer review channels have improved even compared to the good results recorded in 2025.

Helsinki receives praise from tourists for e.g. its excellent customer service, functional and comfortable facilities, and high-quality food and beverage offering.

However, there is room for improvement in the process of purchasing public transport tickets and the availability of public toilet facilities. Furthermore, some tourists find prices in Helsinki to be quite high. Based on the reviews submitted, domestic tourists are slightly more critical of the range of services on offer in Helsinki than international tourists.

Moderate growth expected for the rest of the year

Based on preliminary data, the number of air passengers and overnight stays recorded at accommodation establishments is expected to continue to rise for the rest of the year. International leisure tourism in particular is expected to boost growth.

Domestic tourism and business travel also have potential for growth, provided that the rest of the Finnish economy, alongside the tourism sector, shifts onto a stronger growth trajectory. However, the unstable geopolitical situation can have unexpected effects on tourism.

“Maintaining growth in tourism will require continued determined cooperation with businesses to develop Helsinki’s competitiveness, accessibility and year-round offering.Tourism is an important sector for Helsinki in terms of growth, jobs and international appeal," says Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director.

Sources:

Statistics Finland, Accommodation statistics, preliminary data 24 September 2026

Benchmarking Alliance, 25 August 2026

Finavia, Passenger statistics, August 2026

Port of Helsinki, Traffic statistics, August 2026

DataAppeal Mabrian, 25 August 2026