Tourist numbers in Oulu grew as expected last year – more accommodation needed in the city already next summer

The entrance canopy lined with Christmas trees with Text Lapland Hotels at the end. In the background of the flags and behind them the Oulu Cathedral. — Lapland Hotels is expanding its hotel in Oulu, but will be closed all spring. This means that part of the accommodation capacity in Oulu will be temporarily unavailable.

The total number of overnight stays in Oulu was nine per cent higher than in the previous year. The city has increasingly attracted German visitors in particular.

Oulu’s tourism numbers have already shown good results over the past year, and the annual report on overnight stays shows this.

In 2024, there were around 621 000 overnight stays in accommodation establishments, which is 4% more than in the previous year. If unregistered accommodation is included, there were around 851 000 overnight stays, 9% more than in 2023.

For the third year in a row, the number of overnight stays in the Nordic ring road, in practice in the Oulu region, rose to over a million, according to Visit Finland statistics.

More than a third more foreign tourists in Oulu

The number of foreign visitors in Oulu increased by 37 percent from the previous year. Most of the growth was from the Nordic countries, Germany, the Mediterranean and the United States. Also in the Oulu region, international tourism growth was strong, 27 per cent.

In particular, Oulu’s tourism will be praised for a direct Munich-Oulu flight, and flights will continue in 2025.

According to Visitfinland, foreign tourists arrived at Oulu Airport over 33,500 in Oulu Airport during 2024. The increase in the previous year was 30 %. 130 percent more German tourists passed through the Oulu Airport than in the previous year.

Foreign travelers who announced their main target for Oulu spent over EUR 80 million on their journey last year.

Home stays are encouraged during major events

In Oulu, the challenge of the near future is the adequacy of accommodation capacity. The accommodation has decreased early due to the extension of Lapland Hotels. Although some of the hotel will be available in summer, during the July-August major events, congestion in Oulu’s accommodation will be predicted.

In a tourist bulletin sent, the City of Oulu also encourages the people of Oulu to open their homes and accommodate visitors during major events such as the King’s Races and the Housing Fair.

Last year, the occupancy rate of hotels in Oulu was 69 %, which is clearly higher than in Rovaniemi, Helsinki, Tampere or Turku. During the year, 3,100 beds were available in Oulu for registered accommodation and 1,200 unregistered.

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