OPINION:
Being one of the smallest nations in Europe means that visitors don’t have to choose between city and nature vacation, but they can experience both in a short time. Its compact size and effortless accessibility means whether you’re here for a weekend or for weeks, there’s simply more time to connect to the place and its people.
With a population of just 1.3 million spread over a territory larger than the Netherlands, with 70 percent covered by forests and bogs, Estonia is small and hassle-free. “In addition to that, we have 2,222 islands where it is wonderful to spend the Estonian summer, we have a number of UNESCO attractions, and of course, Tallinn Old Town which is one of the best-preserved Hanseatic town centres in the world” highlighted Mr. Rainer Aavik, Director of the Estonian Tourism Board. “And for the flavour seekers, Estonia is now one of the region’s top food destinations thanks to the freshly arrived The Michelin Guide, being the first of the Baltic states and also to the Nordic culinary tradition of using local ingredients and short-travelled food” he added.
As for visitors, the US is the eighth among all markets visiting Estonia and the first among distant markets. “Americans have shown a stable interest for Estonia over the years and the USA is now one of the main long-haul markets in Estonia‘s tourism promotion, next to Asia” said Aavik.
Estonia reaches end consumers in the USA thanks to cooperation with leading travel media and invites journalists and influencers to come to Estonia and let them experience personally what the country has to offer. The most outstanding recent achievement comes from last year, when Todd Pitock’s story about Estonia - named “A Nation of Saunas and Start-ups” - won one of the most famous awards of US travel journalism (the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award). “As the jury said, Some readers may never have thought of Estonia until now and now they are ready to go”.
“‘Small in size, big in experiences’ is not just a slogan, but the way of living in Estonia. We invite you to visit and experience a unique combination of harmony; from forests, islands and white sandy beaches to Medieval, Modern cities and tomorrow’s tech talent” concluded Aavik.
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