Data from Statistics Estonia show that tourism to Estonia is stable but still below the figures seen in 2019. One big factor is the disappearance of Russian tourists, who can no longer visit due to the visa ban imposed after the start of the war in Ukraine.

"If we look at the number of overnight stays by tourists in the first ten months, it has remained nearly the same year over year, with a 0.5 percent increase. Compared to 2019, however, the number of overnight stays is 15 percent lower. And if we exclude Russian tourists from that figure, the total number of tourists is still nearly 5 percent lower than it was before the pandemic," said Madis Laid, chairman of the board of the Estonian Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Toward the end of the year, the tourism sector is seeing improvement, especially during the Christmas period. But the picture varies by region.

"November has shown slightly better figures compared to last year, and December is showing stronger numbers than the previous year. It is also significant that the Christmas period is better than in previous years, even better than before the pandemic. But it should also be noted that this growth, unfortunately, comes only from Harju County and Tallinn. Tartu, Pärnu, Haapsalu all still show weak figures," said Laid.

While Finnish tourists still make up the largest share of foreign visitors — 36 percent of all foreign tourists — there has been a steady decline in their numbers for the past six months.

LHV macroanalyst Triinu Tapver said this is down to several factors.

"Compared to Finland, our food prices are now at about 97 percent of Finnish prices. Before the pandemic, they were around 60 percent, so that is a noticeable increase. That is likely one reason why Finnish tourists have dropped off. Finns themselves are traveling about 20 percent less than they did before COVID, and the Finnish economy is also performing relatively poorly," she told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Estonia has also seen a boost in tourists from the Baltics. Compared to 2019, visits from Latvians have grown by nearly 50 percent.

"The number of tourists from Latvia and Lithuania has increased quite significantly, and we have managed to appear attractive to them somehow. What is behind that would have to be asked of tourism operators in those countries. Within Europe, Greece and Belgium also stand out, with more tourists coming from there, but primarily it's really Latvia and Lithuania," said Tapver.

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