Saaremaa sees more tourists and foreign visitors this summer

Saaremaa has attracted more tourists this summer than in previous years, with more foreign visitors and a marked increase in cycling tourists, ERR reported.

Tourism professionals on the island said the number of foreign visitors had risen, while acknowledging that the sector still had room to develop because Saaremaa Municipality has not invested heavily in tourism in recent years.

Ferry statistics also show a noticeable increase in cyclists on Saaremaa’s roads, both from nearby countries and farther afield.

“We started two days ago in Tallinn. Yesterday we were on Hiiumaa. Next we will go to Lithuania and Latvia, and finish in Suwalki,” said Eva and Thomas, cyclists from Poland.

Veiko, who came from Tallinn, said he made a similar trip every summer. He said he had cycled more than 100 kilometres on Hiiumaa and expected to cover more than 100 kilometres on Saaremaa as well.

Anu Lomp, head of Saaremaa Municipality’s tourism service, said the Finnair air route had also changed the island’s tourism season. Tourism businesses had given very positive feedback, she said, particularly about the increase in visitors from Finland.

At the same time, Lomp said the municipality had not done enough in recent years to attract tourists or create new attractions. “New and interesting things are constantly being sought, and the tourism sector really needs something new and interesting to be added,” she said.

Saaremaa entrepreneur and politician Mart Maastik said the municipality could have done more to develop businesses, including tourism. He said distinctive attractions were needed to bring people to the island.

Kristi Kuuse, owner of the Söstar café in Kuressaare, said queues had formed to enter the outdoor café for the first time. She said the season had started early, with noticeably more foreign tourists than in the previous two years.