Finns choose Estonia as best international travel destination of 2024

  • 2024-11-08
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - Estonia surpassed Portugal and Greece in a public vote among Finnish travel enthusiasts and tourism professionals and was crowned Finland's International Travel Destination of the Year at the Finnish Tourism Awards 2024 gala earlier this month.

The winners were determined based on a recommendation index survey, where travel enthusiasts and the sector's professionals were asked how likely they were to recommend the destination to a friend or colleague. The survey, conducted in July and August, had over 13,400 voters, the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) said on Thursday.

The sixth Finnish Tourism Awards gala brought together some 500 tourism professionals from Finland and elsewhere to the brand new Clarion Hotel at Vantaa Airport. The evening culminated in the announcement of the winners in 12 award categories.

This year, 37 countries were nominated in the best foreign destination category, 15 of which were shortlisted for the next round and three were subsequently voted on. For Estonia, this was the second time to be among the top three. Last year, Estonia also faced with competition from southern European destinations Italy and Spain, and Italy took the win.

Malle Kolnes, manager for the Finnish market at the Estonian Investment Agency's tourism department (Visit Estonia), described the title as a great recognition for the Estonian tourism sector.

"We have been one of the favorite destinations for our northern neighbors for years, but the fact that this recognition came now, with us overtaking strong tourism nations, highlights the dedication of our entrepreneurs in hosting Finnish tourists, the active work of Finnish tour operators and ferry companies vis-a-vis Estonia, Estonia's visibility in Finland, and tourism trends supporting short-distance travel. Everything came together at the right moment," she said.

Samuel Sorainen, communication partner for the EIS tourism department in Finland, noted that Finns often consider a trip to Estonia to be similar to a trip within Finland.

"Estonia is close, simple and almost self-evident to Finns. Short-distance travel is also a sustainable choice for the environment. We are constantly working to introduce Estonia to Finns also through the media. The more people write and talk about Estonia, the more they are interested in it," Sorainen said.

Finnish Tourism Awards 2024 also saw a number of other Estonia-related nominees make it to the top three. They included Henna Mikkilä, a Tallinn-based blogger and winner in the Tourism Influencer of the Year category at the same gala last year, who runs the hugely popular Tallinn and Estonia-themed group Tallinnatärpit on Facebook with over 106,000 followers.