The Finnish business-oriented newspaper reports that the meeting was attended by practically all key organisations involved in tourism marketing in Estonia, including the Estonian Tourism Board, Estonian Association of Travel Agencies, Estonian Hotel and Restaurant Association, and the Port of Tallinn.

AN EMERGENCY MEETING on Finns was held recently in Tallinn, Estonia, according to Kauppalehti.

The main item on the agenda was Finland.

With Finns becoming less and less interested in jumping on a cruise ship bound for Tallinn and, especially, spending a night in Estonia, the consensus among the attendees was that something has to be done – as soon as the reasons for the declining interest have been identified.

Mall Oja, a marketing co-ordinator at Visit Tallinn, told Kauppalehti that the most recent profile study of Finnish visitors was conducted in 2014.

“The Finnish tourist has changed considerably. They buy a lot less in Tallinn, because the average age of tourists is dropping and young people don’t really care for shopping. New things to see and experience are what’s important for Finns in Tallinn,” said Oja.

Statistics show that overnight stays by Finnish tourists fell by 10 per cent year-on-year in Tallinn in 2018. This year started on an even worse note, with the number of overnight visitors plunging by 19 per cent year-on-year in January.

The number of Finnish cruise visitors to the capital similarly fell by 37 per cent year-on-year during the summer months of 2018, according to Statistics Finland.

Aleksi Teivainen – HT

Source: Uusi Suomi