In recent months, the flow of tourists to Estonia has been negatively affected by news from the war front in Ukraine, the evening news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Wednesday.

The tourism sector says that even minor security-related incidents now play a role when choosing travel destinations.

For example, bookings were canceled after a drone struck the chimney of the Auvere power plant last month. An international girls' football tournament scheduled in June has also been postponed due to concerns about drones and as well as the situation in the Middle East.

"People are afraid to come here, thinking something might happen — that we are vulnerable," Estonian Travel and Tourism Association Vice President Külli Karing told the show.

"For example, if in Germany there is a Sunday evening weekend [news] show similar to those in Estonia, and it is said there that something is unstable in the Baltic region, then as travel companies we see it on Tuesday morning when cancellations come in. We see it in hotels, cruise ships, and restaurants," she explained.

But some markets have adapted too.

Visit Estonia team lead Agnia Nast said: "In some markets, the war in Ukraine is still more prominent, but in the case of the U.S. market, the news has rather been replaced by the conflict in the Middle East. There it has moved into the background, and when communicating with U.S. tour operators, they instead see us again as a good and safe Nordic destination worth visiting."

There is also concern that comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russia could attack the Baltic states next may affect Estonia's international image.

To a lesser extent, this also affects foreign investors' behaviour.

Estonian Business and Innovation Agency Management Board member Liina Vahtras told the show: "They are certainly more cautious, keeping themselves informed, and the time needed to make decisions may be longer. What is extremely important for them is certainty, knowing how the state functions and that there is transparency. This allows them to assess whether their investments are secure and profitable. These decisions may take longer, but they are still made in Estonia's favor."

Zelenskyy has made similar comments before, but according to security expert Meelis Oidsalu, such statements have not had major consequences so far.

"We have to look at the broader media context. The 'Narva is next' narrative is currently gaining traction. Against that background, I think Zelenskyy's words may sound somewhat more alarming than usual, but overall these statements come and go, and the public quickly forgets certain things and episodes. The memory is relatively short," he said.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Kristen Michal told ERR's Russian language channel ETV+ : "I can emphasize this very clearly: there is currently no direct military threat to Estonia."

Lithuanian foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said this week that Lithuania aims to raise its profile in Germany next year after a survey found that Germans' knowledge about the country is limited and shaped by perceptions of threats.

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