"The 'Tallinn effect' reaches Southern Estonia — foreign visitors who make it to Tartu most likely won't travel further into Southern Estonia," acknowledged Kanni Kallastu, director of the Southern Estonian Tourism Cluster.

She said there are various reasons for this.

"Looking back at the [Tartu 2024] European Capital of Culture year, a lot of effort went into promoting Tartu and Southern Estonia in various target countries abroad," Kallastu explained. "Now we're unfortunately facing a situation where the resources available for the Capital of Culture year are no longer at our disposal."

By the end of the Capital of Culture year, the number of foreign tourists staying just one night or visiting Southern Estonia only for the day had increased. During the first four months of 2025, Tartu County hosted 6.5 percent of all foreign tourists visiting the country.

Latvians make up the largest share of tourists visiting Tartu County and Southern Estonia.

At Tartu's AHHAA Science Center, visitor numbers reached record highs over the past two years, but so far this year, attendance has dropped by 50,000.

Estonian visitors have nearly disappeared, dropping by 40,000 compared to last year. Latvians account for one in five visitors to the science center, but their numbers have fallen this year as well, with many staying in the area for no more than a day.

"As far as we've tracked Google and Tripadvisor, [visitors'] main reason for visiting Tartu is AHHAA," said Pilvi Kolk, a board member at AHHA Science Center. "Of course, they do other things here as well. The average trip to AHHAA lasts about three and a half hours, and then they go explore other local sights. That said, quite a few Latvians head back home in the evening and, unfortunately, don't stay here overnight."

Hotel occupancy in Estonia's second-largest city and overnight stays in the region are tied to major multi-day events in Southern Estonia, which have been fewer than last year. As a result, the share of foreign tourists staying in the area has also declined on year — and their stays have gotten shorter, too.

"If it's possible to bring multi-day international events to the region that appeal to a wider audience, the share of overnight stays will definitely increase," said Angela Järg, sales and marketing manager for Tartu's Lydia Hotel and Dorpat Hotel.

"In July, there's the WRC rally, and that will already shift the numbers," she explained, referring to the upcoming Rally Estonia happening across the region next week. "There have been corporate events, conferences and other similar [events], but public events have generally been shorter. And overnight stays have also gotten shorter because there hasn't been any reason to stay longer."

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