Strategic focuses of tourism

Product and destination development: The goal of the development of tourism products and destinations is that more informed foreign visitors come to Estonia, who stay longer in Estonia and consume more diversely. The main focus is on the digital revolution and the Green Turn in the tourism sector, as well as cooperation, hospitality and data-drivenness.

The development of the main subject areas of Estonian tourism is based on the following strengths: 

• Estonian culture, which is authentic and colourful. Estonian architecture, spatial environment, and cultural and sports events have proven their value among visitors. 
• Estonian food, which is a colourful mixture of different cultures, cuisines, and eras. The level of restaurants is very high, and local ingredients are appreciated. 
• Estonian nature, which is rich in variety and close by. 
• e-Estonia's image and innovative business environment.

Due to the aforementioned strengths, tourism product development activities are also divided into four areas: cultural tourism, food tourism, nature tourism, and business tourism.

The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency’s Tourism Development Centre and regional destination development organisations support enterprises in the development of innovative tourism products. See also: Product development and quality in tourism (visitestonia.ee)
The development of destinations helps to spread the burden of tourism visitors and bring tourism income to all regions of Estonia. The development of hospitality and the wider introduction of quality labels and the implementation of the strategic management model of destinations are important in the development of destinations.

The innovation revolution, the Green Turn, and the digital revolution ensure that Estonian tourism products and destinations are sustainable and distinctive, and that Estonian tourism enterprises are viable, innovative, and efficient. Subsidies and services of the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency to support the digital revolution and the Green Turn: Services and subsidies aimed at developing tourism products (visitestonia.ee)

In developing knowledge and skills in the tourism sector, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications cooperates with the Ministry of Education and Research, Estonian Qualifications Authority (SA Kutsekoda), Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, Statistics Estonia, and destinations’ and professional associations.

In developing the business environment, it is important to align the legislative environment with new business models, reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs and develop a flexible labour policy in cooperation with the the field of labor relations of Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications .

Demand recovery: In marketing activities, the focus is on informed foreign visitors who are interested in Estonia for more than just one trip, want to stay longer, and are ready to consume more diverse services and spend more. Marketing takes into account the so-called new normality and emphasises topics that are important to today's travellers, such as a safe destination, sustainable and green thinking, responsible society, and community involvement. Quick adaptability, consideration of unpredictability, and extremely fast and flexible action are the key words for marketing activities in the coming years.

Tourism marketing is based on the message strategy of the Estonian brand is underpinned by Estonia's unique blend of compactness and diversity. Estonia may be “small in size, but it offers a wealth of experiences”. Visitors can choose to savour a lot in a short time, or they can opt for a "slow travel" approach.

The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency’s Tourism Development Centre deals with the marketing of Estonia as a destination. 

In addition to the website visitestonia.com in foreign languages and puhkaeestis.ee in Estonian, the Tourism Development Centre uses newsletters for both end-users and tourism professionals, social media channels in several languages and campaigns in marketing. 

The main leader in the development of business tourism is the Estonian Convention Bureau.
 

Ensuring connections: Estonia is well connected to the main target markets, and the offered tourism products and services are conveniently accessible. For the export of international travel and tourism services, the development of international transport connections that promote travel, the creation of new ones, and the continuous development of the network are of primary importance.

The goal is also an accessible and comprehensive visitor journey between destinations in Estonia: the trip operates with minimal waiting time at all stages, it is easy to find information about tourist services and local transport, and the visitor can also explore Estonia in a variety of ways by combining different modes of transport.

The digital visibility of businesses and destinations is supported by  Puhka Eestis / Visit Estonia tourist information system displaying information about Estonia in 9 languages, which allows people to easily plan vacation on their own. The tourist information system offers well-organised, customer-friendly and high-quality tourist information for Estonia’s tourists, foreign visitors, and enterprises.  

For enterprises, the tourism information system is helpful in developing the export of tourism services and improving international competitiveness. In addition, the tourism information system enables the collection of data for research, market and customer analysis, destination marketing, and product development.

The Tourism Department of the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency organises the collection, organisation, and distribution of tourism information in cooperation with local governments (municipalities) and regional and area-specific tourism organisations. 
When creating connections, we cooperate with the gates of arrival in Estonia, the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, the Transport Administration, the Police and Border Guard Board, and local governments.