Russian and Finnish tourists who have turned their backs on Estonia over the past year seemed to rush back to rediscover Estonia in February. Estonia saw about 700 foreign tourists more than in February 2007. In all, 72,000 foreign tourists stayed in places of accommodation this February and the number of Russian and Finnish guests increased by 16.4 percent and 7.2 percent, respectively, in comparison to the same month last year. According to Krista Tehtvere, sales director of the Toila Sanatorium, tourism from Russia has been helped by the enlargement of the Schengen visa area, while the increase in the number of Finns could be explained by well-executed advertising. According to Anu Soosaar, managing director of the Sokos Hotel Viru, more guests stayed at their hotel too this February than in the same month last year. In addition to Finns and Russians, more tourists from Latvia and Lithuania stayed in Estonian accommodation. The number of tourists from Norway and the UK did not increase considerably, however, and the number from Sweden fell by nearly a quarter.