Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 13.1.
Estonia: international tourism receipts and expenditure, 1993-2004 (?m). Source: Enterprise
Estonia/Estonian Tourist Board 2005.
health spa tourism and off-season city breaks.
Overall it can be argued that the road to EU
accession has impacted positively on the
tourism industry in Estonia, accelerating its
development, although most of the impact has
been indirect. This can be divided into three
categories:
Evolution of the Tourism Industry in
Estonia
Tallinn, the walled medieval capital city is cur-
rently the chief attraction for the majority of
tourists visiting the country. It has fulfilled this
role over the centuries as it was one of the initial
destinations where tourism developed in Estonia.
However, mirroring the contemporary trend for
spa tourism (Enterprise Estonia/Estonian Tourist
Board, 2004b), the primary attraction for visi-
tors to Estonia was the discovery that the sea
mud from the Baltic coast town of Haapsalu
could be of therapeutic benefit. Subsequently,
the first health resort built by the town doctor,
Carl Abraham Hunnius, opened in 1825 and
immediately became popular with the Russian
aristocracy (including Tsar Nikolai II), intellec-
tuals and artists, as well as the local Baltic
Germans. This led to the growth of similar health
spas throughout the 1800s in Parnu (1838), on
Saaremaa (1840) and Narva-Joesuu (1872)
(Kallas, 2002).
The first geopolitical shift to affect the
region was World War I and, not unexpectedly,
it had a major impact on the tourism industry.
The lifeline of the Russian inbound market
was cut off after the revolution of 1917 and the
1. EU accession, in association with NATO
membership, has assisted in creating a percep-
tion of safety and security in the country. This
in turn with the economic management of the
country has created the foundation for a posi-
tive business environment and increased the flow
of both foreign and local direct investment to the
industry as well as international visitors.
2. EU membership has facilitated increased
access to the country by making it easier to visit,
with the removal of cross-border bureaucracy
and increased transport access to the country,
most notably stimulating the arrival of budget
airlines into the industry.
3. The imminent arrival of a 'new' country
into the EU also led to unprecedented quantities
of free publicity for Estonia in the media,
both within the EU and internationally. This in
turn raised awareness of the destination in the
international marketplace and provided a
platform on which to promote 'Brand Estonia'.
