31pct less tourists in Latvian hotels this year

In comparison with the 3rd quarter of 2008, number of visitors in hotels and other accommodation establishments in Latvia in the 3rd quarter of 2009 decreased 31%, reports Baltic Course.
Of all visitors 30% were Latvian residents and 70% – foreign visitors. The number of foreign visitors has reduced by 24%. The number of visitors from [...]

Cruise passengers left 6.7mEUR in Tallinn

A total of 416 000 cruise passengers passed through the Port of Tallinn during the past season, making purchases worth an estimated 105 million kroons (EUR 6.7 mln) here, the state-owned port company said on Thursday.
Other revenues earned by Estonian businesses from cruise tourism include port fees, pilot fees and charges of the Maritime Administration, [...]

Russians can apply for Estonian visas by courier service

The Foreign Ministry concluded an agreement with the company Freight Link (Pony Express), which offers courier service, so that Russian residents would have the opportunity to apply for visas to visit Estonia even from the more distant areas of the country. The agreement will allow people to apply for an Estonian visa without having to [...]

11 pct less tourists compared to previous year

According to Statistics Estonia, during the nine month of the year 1.7 million tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which was 11% less than at the same time in the previous year.

From January to September 2009, 1.1 million foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments, which accounted for about two thirds of the total number of accommodated [...]

Soomaa National Park joins distinguished list of European wilderness areas

Soomaa National Park, the so-called kingdom of bogs, last week became the first Estonian nature preserve to make it into the PAN Parks Network, which includes Europe’s finest natural areas. This is an acknowledgment of quality that will increase the international notoriety of this unique natural locale. The bogs, which are almost completely untouched by [...]

Estonia to promote itself as travel destination in St. Petersburg

Enterprise Estonia (EAS) will launch a publicity campaign in St. Petersburg, Russia on Monday to promote itself as a destination for winter holiday travel.
The main Estonian destinations featured in the four-million-kroon (EUR 0.26 mln) campaign are Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu. “Tallinn is a popular venue for spending the New Year Holiday for Russians, but at [...]

Hotel room occupancy rate 52% in July

According to Statistics Estonia, in July 317,000 tourists stayed in accommodation establishments of Estonia, which was 9% less than at the same time in the previous year.

In spite of the big cultural event taking place in Estonia at the beginning of July, Song and Dance Celebrations, which enlivened domestic tourism and brought many tourists from [...]

Finns’ interest in cruises to Estonia increased

The economic depression has increased Finns’ interest in cruises to Estonia and to Sweden.
According to the Finnish statistical office the number of cruise passengers increased by as much as 48% against last July, the Finnish public broadcaster YLE, said.
In all, Finns made 610 000 overnight trips in July, a quarter of them to Estonia or [...]

980 passengers use Tallinn-Stockholm air route first season

The seasonal Pärnu-Stockholm air route launched by Estonian Air in collaboration with Pärnu spas carried 980 passengers while in operation from 30 April to 23 August.
Estonian Air spokesperson Ilona Eskelinen told BNS on Monday that without collaboration with the Tervis sanatorium and the Strand spa and conference hotel launch of the air route and its [...]

Estonian Air to raise number of flights to Vilnius

Estonian Air will increase the weekly number of operations between Tallinn and Vilnius to eight starting on 31 August by adding evening flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
At present Estonian Air flies between the Estonian and Lithuanian capitals five times a week in the morning, or on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“The route between [...]