BONJOUR L'ESTONIE

Russian ferry operators to launch new routes to Estonia

Starting from summer 2013, Russian ferry operators will launch a new ferry route between Kroonlinn, a town near St. Petersburg in Russia, and the Estonian town of Kunda, writes Eesti Päevaleht.

Kunda that will be visited by a passenger ferry twice a week has agreed to build a new quay for the vessels. The quay will be built by Kunda Nordic Tsement that owns the port. According to plans, the ferry that can also take on board cars will bring about 700 Russian tourists a week to Kunda to see the sights in Northern Estonia.

“We will make the first trip next May. Kunda has little to see, but 40 kilometres from Kunda is Rakvere with its castle and excellent spa hotel,” says Aleksei Varssavski, CEO of Biskon that consults St. Petersburg ferry operators.

The construction of a new quay that could accommodate 150-metre-long ferry ships will cost between 5 and 10 million euros. Another plan is to launch a ferry line between Sillamäe, Kotka and Kroonlinn. The three cities have already signed a protocol of intentions.

In addition, the Sillamäe – Ust-Luga cargo line will be opened in September 2012. In spring 2011 Russian ferry operator St. Peterline launched a ferry line St. Petersburg-Stockholm-Tallinn-St Petersburg.

Toomas Hõbemägi

Estonian Air criticized for changing ticket terms retroactively

Estonian Air has reportedly retroactively changed the terms of tourist class flights on October 1 or later, eliciting disapproval from the Consumer Protection Board.

Estonian Air said on Tuesday that it would divide tourist class customers into three price categories according to carry-on baggage and catering services. The changes will affect plane tickets that were purchased before August 28 for flights that depart on or after October 1.

“The previous on board conception, where every passenger in short-distance flights was given a roll and passengers for long-distance flights were given a sandwich is not sustainable at the current expense level,” Estonian Air spokeswoman Ilona Eskelinen told Postimees.

Customers told the newspaper that Estonian Air had notified them that they would have to pay extra for catering, although they had already paid for it when they purchased their tickets.

Clients have the option of getting a full refund, but it is difficult to refund a planned family vacation. “The agency certainly does not approve of Estonian Air's retroactively changing conditions and the case in question could be a misleading and dishonest sales tactic,” said Consumer Protection Board spokeswoman Siiri Erala.

Spokeswoman Eskelinen said the airline will try to work out disagreements with customers in the coming days. “We will try to approach each client individually and as flexibly as possible,” she said.

Ott Tammik

Fall in love with Estonia!

Estonia is in a special mood – on 20 August we will celebrate the 21st Anniversary of Restoring Estonia’s Independence. In that great occasion we have a "NOT TO BE MISSED" offer for Estonian Air return tickets! Fly to Estonia and fall in love, again. Campaign runs until this evening - 18.08.2012 midnight (23:59 +3 UTC). Flight period: 21.08 / 30.09.2012. » Book today!

Ryanair to cut flights to Finland, fate of Tallinn routes unknown

The Irish budget airline Ryanair will cut half of its flights to Finland in the next winter season, reported Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).

Lauri Linnamäe, representative of Tallinn Airport, said in comment that the airport had not yet received any information about the winter timetable of Ryanair because the airline has not yet submitted it. However, he said that some customers have said that Ryanair's booking system does not allow them to book for the winter for certain flights that exist today.

As for Finland, the airline has decided to give up the route to Turku completely this winter, while also reducing the number of flights to and from Tampere and Lappeenranta. The carrier has explained that Turku will be abandoned for the winter as it is a new destination, reports Anne-Marget Niemi, Managing Director of Turku Touring, in an interview with Turun Sanomat. Ryanair started its flights between Turku and four European destinations, including London Stansted, at the end of March this year. YLE reports further that the

Number of Russian tourists visiting Estonia grew more than 30% in 2011

Director of the Tourism Development Centre of the foundation Enterprise Estonia Tarmo Mutso stated that the number of foreign tourists who visited Estonia and stayed the night grew by 7% in comparison to the year 2011, writes LETA/Delfi.ee.

The number of foreign tourists from Russia has grown the most: 33%. In 2011, Estonia was visited by a total of 203,204 tourists from Russia. In the first five months of this year, Estonian accommodation establishments provided services to 107,984 Russian tourists – 26,663 more than last year.

“As we all know, in 2011 the number of foreign tourists who visited Estonia was the highest ever and hence expectations for yet another growth spurt were rather modest,” he noted, adding that the growth trend in the tourism sector appears to continue.

Enterprise Estonia has not yet compiled statistics on the first half of 2012, but the foundation can compile an overview of the first five months of the year.

“During the first five months of 2012, Estonia was visited by 941,160 tourists who stayed here overnight and that is 7% more than last year,” said Mutso.

“It has also been estimated that we receive approximately 60% of tourists from Russia who do not stay in accommodation establishments and hence they are not reflected in tourism statistics,” noted Mutso.

Õnnitleme medali puhul!

Hurraa! Esimene medal!

Estonian Air on uhke meie maadleja Heiki Nabi saavutuse üle ja jagab oma rõõmu klientidega. Ainult täna südaööni on kõik kodulehelt ostetud Estonian Airi piletid ilma teenustasuta.
Soodustuse saamiseks sisesta pileti tellimisel allahindluskood: london2012

Võidurõõmu jagamine kestab täna (07.08.2012) südaööni ja ainult Estonian Airi kodulehel. Soodustus kehtib vaid Estonian Airiga lendamiseks vahemikus 01.10-30.11.2012.

» Uuri lähemalt

Estonian Air has cancelled a number of flights to optimise its schedule

The Estonian national airline Estonian Air has cancelled a number of flights this year in the course of optimising its flight plan, but the company refuses to disclose the exact number of cancelled flights, writes LETA/Õhtuleht.

“We are trying to organise our activities so that passengers would learn about cancelled flights at least two weeks before the planned flight,” said Estonian Air’s public relations director Ilona Eskelinen.

She admitted, however, that the airline has not always been able to adhere to the rule of informing customers two weeks in advance.

“We are monitoring trends on each route and analyse sales projections. A realistic image of demand is clear a couple of months before the planned flight,” explained Eskelinen.

Public relations director of the Consumer Protection Board Hanna Turetski stated that the board has been contacted in connection with the cancelled flights, but such instances have not become more frequent lately.

Juhan Tere

30,000 beach-goers crowd Pärnu

Around 30,000 people were reported to be enjoying the weather at the summer capital's beach on Friday, a record number this year.

The head count was performed by divvying the beach into sectors, counting up the people in one sector and then multiplying that with the number of sectors, according to Andrei Martõnkevitš, a representative of the security company Articard.

Pärnu, with a population of 42,000, attracts people from outside the city limits with its beach, but local residents prefer less crowded beaches.

The city government's spokeswoman, Maria Murakas-Ollo, confirmed the turnout as this year's record but added that the number of visitors has been even larger in previous years.

Robin Ilves

Estonian Air to make first code share flight with Air France

Yesterday the first code share flight in cooperation with Estonian Air and Air France took place on Tallinn-Paris route. Estonian Air will operate the route with six weekly frequencies on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

As of yesterday, July 16th 2012 Estonian Air flights will arrive and departure from Terminal 2D at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, the same location with Air France.

Air France is the flag carrier of France and one of the largest airlines in the world. Air France is a subsidiary of the Air France KLM Group. With their partners Delta and Alitalia, AIR FRANCE and KLM operate the biggest transatlantic joint venture with more than 250 daily flights. AIR FRANCE and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance which has 15 member airlines, offering customers access to a global network of over 14,500 daily flights to 926 destinations in 173 countries.

Vicky Karantzavelou

Saaremaa's lack of popularity as cruise destination disappoints planners

Despite high hopes that Saaremaa would become a magnet for cruise travellers, only one cruise ship has visited the island so far this summer. The owners of the wharfs originally built for cruise traffic now want to use them for cargo ships, but the local community opposes the plan.

Since 2006, when the government invested roughly 14 million euros to build the Port of Saaremaa, only 37 cruise ships have visited the island, reported Eesti Päevaleht.

"We presumed that Saaremaa would attract tourists, but that has not been realized to any significant extent,” said Ain Kaljurand, CEO of the Port of Tallinn, which owns the island port.

The owners have long tried to expand the Port of Saaremaa for use by merchant ships, but local residents are collecting signatures in an online campaign opposing such developments.

The Environmental Board has also opposed efforts to expand, refusing to authorize a development plan in June.

Ott Tammik

Vormsi

Historically Vormsi wаs inhabited by coastal Swedes. During the Soviet occupation, Vormsi wаs а closed border-zone, where guests cоuld arrive оnly wіth government permission.

History

Vormsi's history аs аn inhabited island dates bаck аs far аs the 13th century. During mоst оf іts history, the island has been inhabited by Estonian Swedes, whose population reached 3,000 before World War II. During the war, nearly аll оf Vormsi's population, along wіth оther Swedes living іn Estonia, were evacuated, оr fled, tо Sweden. The island's current population іs approximately 240 inhabitants.

The island's Estonian name Vormsi іs derived frоm іts German name Worms оr іts Swedish name Ormsö ("snake island"). Swedish influence cаn аlsо be seen іn оther placenames, аs іn villages lіke Hullo (the administrative center), Sviby (the main port), Söderby, Norrby, Diby, Rälby, Förby, Borrby, Kärrslätt, Saxby, Busby, Suuremõisa (Magnushof) аnd Rumpo; аnd lakes lіke Prästvik.

Sightseeing

• See Celtic crosses frоm the 13th century.
• Lighthouse located іn the north-east coast.

Transport

Vormsi іs best toured by bicycle оr оn foot. Both bikes аnd boats cаn be rented оn the island.

Bubble hotel opens In Estonia’s Matsalu national park

An inflatable bubble hotel that first inflated in the outskirts of Paris has wandered north to the banks of the Baltic Sea in Estonia’s Matsalu National Park.

The hotel, built by French architect Pierre-Stephane Dumas, has neither toilets nor other amenities likely found in hotels, according to Sky News. No matter, the owner, Ermil Miggur, says, “That’s the concept, to bring a person into the middle of the untouched nature. It is actually a reserve. Even though it’s private land, it is the reserve of Matsalu and a person can come here and be all by himself, with his thoughts or with someone special.”

The price for open-air sleeping? 99 Euros a night.

Port of Tallinn to expand as tourism prospers

The Port of Tallinn has announced that next year it will build a second quay - a 10-million-euro embankment where ships can be moored and unload passengers - to accomodate a growing number of tourists as well as larger cruise ships.

The port is expecting 294 cruise ships and 430,000 travelers to stop by Tallinn this season.

Cruise ship tourists spend an average of 41 euros in the city, according to a survey conducted by the Port of Tallinn. That amounts to a total inflow of around 17.6 million euros for the season.

According to the same survey, 97 percent of cruise travelers say they would recommend visiting Tallinn to their friends and 66 percent say they plan to return to Tallinn for a longer vacation.

Ott Tammik

Tallinn port and airport launch passenger turnaround business again

A new turnaround season of cruise passengers starts on Saturday in the Tallinn Airport and Port of Tallinn, which promises to be several times grander than last year, when it the system was first launched in Tallinn, Postimees Online reports.

Spain's biggest Spanish cruise company Pullmantur Cruises, which used to start and end its Baltic Sea cruises in Helsinki, picked Tallinn this year and on Saturday the first five planefuls of cruise tourists arrive in Tallinn to start their cruise here. And that happens once every two weeks till September.

This Saturday Pullmantur will bring over 1,600 cruise tourists to Tallinn with a cruise ship and nearly 1,400 will arrive here on board planes and they will exchange places in Tallinn. The arrival of the tourists in Tallinn as a new destination will be accompanied by great festivities, including live music.

While last year Tallinn tourism and transport companies serviced around 7,000 turnaround cruise passengers, this year nearly 18,000 people will be service already in the first five days of the season, informed LETA.

Juhan Tere

Construction of Kärdla marina to start

The Port of Kärdla signed a long-awaited agreement with the Estonian company Nordecon on Wednesday for the construction of the island town's visitors' marina.

Completing the restoration of the harbor for the capital of Hiiumaa island, which has been in the works since 1990, will cost the town of 3,300 an additional 4 million euros, with 3.2 million euros coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

The harbor will have 56 berths for boats and yachts.

Despite the good news that the project qualified for EU financing, the town of Kärdla struggled to come up with co-financing funds and in March decided to decrease the size of the project.

Under the agreement signed July 11, construction is to begin this month and the completion deadline is December 2013.

eer.ee

Estonian Air : Fly for FREE

Six months of free flying - would you like that?
Very simple – buy a flight ticket on Estonian Air homepage and take part in the draw! 2 passes will be given out, but to apply please check the rules below.

Book now

Campaign rules:

• Only those ticket buyers who enter the code “sixmonths” in the discount code field when booking a ticket at www.estonian-air.com take part in the draw;
• The campaign ticket has to be bought during 10-31.07.2012;
• Two individual winners will be drawn;
• The pass is for the use of the winner only (does not apply to a travel companion);
• The pass enables the winner to fly for free to any Estonian Air destinations during a six-month period from 01.09.2012 to 28.02.2013;
• The pass is for tourist-class (ECO) ticket (includes all taxes and charges) for one traveller;
• The pass applies only to direct flights with Estonian Air;
• Draw takes place according to the rules stated here.

What to do in Estonia? Click on visitestonia.com to find out!

Estonia plans to speed up border control for train passengers

TALLINN - The Estonian state intends to start conducting the border control in the Tallinn-St Petersburg train in a moving train in order to save time, but this requires a law amendment, LETA/Eesti Päevaleht writes.

An analysis has been compiled at the initiative of the interior ministry that finds out ways of how to check passengers who travel to Russia and back without having them to wait in the border checkpoint.

"While currently the train stops for 40 minutes, if the border crossing was simplified the train would stop only to let people board the train and leave the train," said GoRail board member Alar Pinsel. He said that a mobile border control would enable to make the train ride at least a half an hour shorter.

In order to conduct border control on a moving train outside the border checkpoint, first the border regime regulations have to be changed. Also the state border law has to be amended which means an obligation for the transport company to submit an electronic passenger list to the police an hour latest before the train reaches the station.

Võrumaa : South Estonia

Modern service and old traditional village life are combined to form excellent conditions for exciting and comfortable vacations. The uniqueness of the Võru town is simple – rectangularly crossing system of streets and nice wood architecture.

Võrumaa gives you the feeling of nostalgic village-life in the past, peaceful little town atmosphere and the glimpse of the progress at the same time. The outgoing people here are still having an ancient dialect and traditions.
We welcome you to our incredible place!

Domed hills, deep valleys, large rolling plains, fast-running rivers, beautiful little lakes, great views. Unique hiking-tracks and cross-country skiing trails in the wild nature, untouched bogs and natural wetlands – this is Võrumaa. There are numerous tourist-farms which can be described as being small and nature-minded.

Võrumaa Turismiinfokeskus
Jüri 12, 65605 Võru
+372 782 1881
voru@visitestonia.com

Muhu

Over the centuries Muhu has developed аt іts own pace аnd іts traditions аre well known throughout Estonia. The famous Muhu patterns аre а refined expression оf folk-art.

The inhabitants оf Muhu call themselves Muhu people; а self chosen title whіch radiates а certain pride аnd feeling оf being different frоm mainlanders оr communities оn оther islands.

Sightseeing

The nature оf Muhu has largely been left undisturbed іn the past fifty years. It's the natural habitat tо 23 species оf very rare orchids. Muhu іs аlsо home tо many migrating birds, whіch tаke temporarily shelter іn the various bays.

Villages оn Muhu аre even today still headed by traditional village eldermen, whо tаke up the role оf voluntary counsel. Many оf the villages аre charming іn theіr simplicity аnd worth having а lооk .

Rainy weather makes Estonians buy holiday trips

The rainy summer weather forecast has boosted the sale of last minute beach holiday trips in Southern Europe and direct flights from Estonia to the Southern resorts are practically sold out for this summer, LETA/Postimees reports.

"When it rains, the sale of last minute trips is very good and as soon as the sun comes out, sales fall. June has been quite good for us," said Estravel marketing manager Mari-Liis Rüütsalu, who said that there are a few tickets for trips in the next few weeks but there are also flights that are sold out. "If this weather continues, they aren’t available for long," said Rüütsalu. "Our travel consultants have a very busy time."

Novatours' marketing manager Olev Riisberg also said that no special campaign, favourable price or marketing tricks can sell as many trips as "the bad skiing weather" as a rainy summer in Estonia is called, can.