In 2025, a total of 4,924,251 overnight stays were recorded in Helsinki, which is 8.2% more than in the previous year. The information is based on the accommodation statistics published by Statistics Finland.
Growth was driven in particular by international leisure travel. Overnight stays by non-residents increased by 17.4 per cent (+382,000 stays). Helsinki accounted for 36 per cent of all registered international overnight stays in Finland. In the busiest months, more than half of the overnight stays by foreigners in the whole country were in Helsinki.
The growth in overnight stays was significantly stronger than in Finland as a whole: nationwide, overnight stays increased by 0.4 per cent outside Helsinki. This means that Helsinki attracted more tourists than the rest of the country. Records were broken in every month of the year, with over 400,000 overnight stays in the best months.
“The historic performance in Helsinki is driven by our commitment to international leisure travel, public and professional events, and the quality and sustainability of our services. As long as we are able to attract tourists to Helsinki, they will be happy with their experience,” says Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director of the City of Helsinki.
“The impact of tourism is not only reflected in overnight stays and hotels, but also jobs, restaurants, events and the vitality of the city at large. With tourists visiting all year round, services also remain profitable and can be developed. Local companies have done an excellent job in strengthening tourism," Vesterinen continues.
Helsinki attracts wide interest in different market areas
International overnight stays increased in all key markets. Last year, most visitors to Helsinki came from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Percentage-wise, Japan and Italy had the strongest growth.
“The fact that Helsinki attracts a wide range of tourists from different markets makes us stronger in the face of global change. We are not as vulnerable and dependent on the interest of just one market," Vesterinen stresses.
Air transport supported the growth of tourism. According to Finavia's statistics, nearly 17 million passengers travelled through Helsinki Airport. Direct routes have a clear and direct impact on passenger numbers and country-specific developments.
“Good connections by air are also important for both exporting companies and us locals," says Vesterinen.
International cruise traffic also experienced growth. The first cruise ship arrived in January and the last one just before Christmas. The number of international cruise passengers rose to 175,000, and growth is expected to continue this year.
Events and congresses bring visitors all year round
The year 2025 was particularly strong for conventions: a total of 212 congresses were held in Helsinki. In addition to this, the number of mass events with upwards of 25,000 participants more than doubled compared to the previous year.
The impact of events and congresses was clearly reflected in hotel occupancy rates and revenue per room (RevPAR), with event days forming clear peaks. On the busiest days, there were practically no vacancies in the city.
Excellent visitor experience is Helsinki's strength
According to sentiment data from public peer review channels, the customer experience of tourism services in Helsinki is excellent overall and beats other Nordic capitals. Helsinki’s visitor experience survey also shows that a very high number of visitors would recommend Helsinki as a tourist destination (NPS 59.08).
Customers particularly praise the quality of the restaurant and accommodation services and the customer service. Areas for improvement include streamlined services, queuing and booking processes. Sustainability is seen as a strong competitive factor for Helsinki, but at the same time the level of expectation is high. Indeed, Helsinki achieved the top position in the index measuring the sustainability of travel destinations in 2024 and 2025.
National tourism operators also highlighted Helsinki as the tourism region of the year in Finland in 2025 (Vuoden matkailualue). The choice was influenced not only by the increase in the number of tourists but also by the seasonal stability, the extended lengths of stays and per capita accommodation sales.
Outlook for 2026: moderate but stable growth
The year 2026 in tourism has also gotten off to a positive start with a 9.6 per cent growth in registered overnight stays. In January, domestic overnight stays increased by 11.4 percent and international overnight stays increased by 7.6 per cent compared to January last year. In keeping with this trend, a growth of 5–7 per cent is estimated in both air passenger numbers and registered overnight stays in 2026.
International leisure tourism in particular is expected to boost growth. If the economic situation strengthens, there is also potential for growth in domestic and business travel. The unstable geopolitical situation may also have an impact on tourism. The growth in cruise traffic and the increase in international cruise ships departing from Helsinki will also bring new overnight stays to the city.
