A warm winter, large ships and visa-free travel have provoked an increase in the number of tourists visiting Tallinn. Representatives of the Port of Tallinn say that the number of tours booked this year is record-breakring. Last year, 268 ships and 292,159 tourists visited Tallinn. This year, the capital expects around 312 ships with 380,000 cruise tourists to visit the city on one-day visits. Sven Ratassepp, the port’s PR manager, believes that the increase in passenger numbers has been caused by bigger ships being introduced to cruise lines. Last year, the Baltic Sea was in fourth position worldwide in terms of special interest trips, but now it has made it to third position. Bus tours and walking tours in Tallinn take tourists mostly to the Old Town and Rocca al Mare. Tourists also visit Lahemaa National Park, but there are also new companies on the market providing non-traditional sightseeing destinations. There are already five bookings for Saaremaa’s deep harbour and in comparison to last year’s 2,580 cruise tourists, the harbour expects about 2,700 tourists this year.

 

Eesti Paevaleht 2008-03-18