Most of the rally fans making the trip to Tartu and south Estonia for this weekend's WRC Rally Estonia have traveled from nearby Latvia and Finland. International tourists account for around 15 percent of the estimated 50,000-strong audience.

According to Janno Siitan, CEO of Rally Estonia, the event is also a great opportunity for rally fans to experience Estonian culture as well as enjoy their favorite sport.

"It's not only hotels that are in high demand, but also homestay accommodation, where you can perhaps get a good Estonian home-cooked meal and maybe a sauna," said Siitan.

"On the [Rally Estonia] website, anyone can post an ad for a homestay with a camping spot, a camp site, a room, a cottage, or a house, and you can also put a description there with pictures of what you have to offer," explained the rally's CEO.

The number of accommodation offers on the site varies between 20 and 70. According to Siitan, this is the fourth year that Rally Estonia has been offering the service.

"As soon as we went public with the dates of the rally – in fact, as early as the end of last year – the first people put up their ads," Siitan said.

In addition to home stays, rally fans also fill the hotels in Tartu and south Estonia. Paavo Korkka, general manager of the Raadimõisa and Aleksandri hotels in Tartu, says that this week they have welcomed guests from as far afield as France and England.

"While usually our clientele is still predominantly from Estonia and Latvia, then [now] we are seeing customers from much further afield coming in," Korkka said.

During Rally Estonia, accommodation prices have doubled due to the high demand, said Verni Loodmaa, chair of the Pallas and Sophia hotels.

"We can also see that the turnover at our restaurants is better, at least the experience from previous years shows this, because tourists, and especially international tourists, spend money a bit more freely than local consumers do," Loodmaa explained.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!