Tallinn hotels are preparing for another wage of Russian revellers who will be arriving to spend a New Year’s Eve in Tallinn, writes Eesti Päevaleht. Most hotels in Tallinn say that they are fully booked from December until mid-January. According to booking.com, 90% of hotels in Tallinn have no vacancies for the period.
For Russians, the year-end is a long holiday period that ends only on January 9. Since Russians like to spent the New Year’s Eve and Orthodox Christmas away from home, many have chosen Tallinn. More and more Russians have found themselves travelling to Tallinn or some other Estonian town, especially in Northeast Estonia, for the New Year’s Eve.
Last year the tourism development centre of Enterprise Estonia estimated that there will be 80,000 Russian tourists in Estonia for the 2012/2013 changeover, which is 15,000 more than a year earlier.
This year, the interest of Russians towards spending the year-end in Tallinn is even bigger and could top 100,000 for the first time, especially since many Russians stay with their friends or relatives when in Tallinn.
Ilona Kbejan, tourism representative of Enterprise Estonia in Moscow, said that the interest of Russians towards Estonia is big and continues to grow. She says that typical Russians who spend their New Year’s Eve in Tallinn are young and wealthy.
Source: bbn.ee - Toomas Hõbemägi