Last night, Visit Estonia and Visit Finland hosted travel trade and media in the Little Pig Speakeasy for a Cocktail masterclass followed by dinner and drinks with updates from the two Baltic and Nordic destinations.
In attendance on the night were Agnia Nast, Marketing Manager for Visit Estonia, Catherine Grennell Whyte, ATTS Ireland, and the Ambassador of Estonia, Kari Kunka. Agnia Nast kicked off the night with a speech detailing all the amazing activities and experiences that Estonia has to offer. Tallin, Estonia’s capital, was voted Green Capital of Europe in 2019 and is committed to sustainability, with restaurants like Fotografiska being completely zero-waste. Tallin is a very safe and easily walkable city. It has something for everyone with fantastic architecture, nightlife and restaurants. In 2022, Estonia became the first Baltic country to have a restaurant be awarded a Michelin star. The Noblessner district of Tallin has been converted from an old shipyard into a vibrant community of apartments, high level restaurants, shops and cultural venues. There is also plenty of options for accommodation in Tallin, with boutique hotels such as Hotel Telegraaf and Hotel Schlossle.
There is plenty to do in Estonia, with saunas being very popular with the locals. The smoke sauna in Võrumaa is a UNESCO heritage site. Bike and walking tours are also very popular. Estonia has over 2,200 islands and in the winter the frozen water between the islands becomes ice roads that can be driven on. There is only 80km between the two capitals of Tallin and Helsinki, which can be crossed by a short flight or ferry. This makes it very easy for travellers to enjoy both cities in one holiday.
Catherine Grennell Whyte then spoke on behalf of Visit Finland. There are daily flights from Ireland to Finland with a short flight time of three hours. The Silja ferry links to Tallin, encouraging holidaymakers to make the journey across and make the most of both destinations. Finland has been the happiest country in the world for the last 6 years in a row according to the UN World Happiness Report. It is known as the land of a thousand lakes, and has 70 forests and 40 national parks. Finnish people have a strong connection with nature and the country has some of the purest air and water in Europe. The Aurora Borealis can be seen 200 nights of the year, appearing right up to April. Finland has many musical and cultural events each year, including Flow Festival and the Savonlinna Opera.
With fantastic transport links between the capitals, a visit to both Finland and Estonia is a must. The presentations were followed by cocktails and a two course meal. The staff at the Little Pig Speakeasy pulled out all the stops, treating guests to three different cocktails, each inspired by Finnish and Estonian drinks. There was also a prize draw on the night to win a trip to Tallin and Helsinki. Niall McDonnell of Killiney Travel was the lucky winner. Thank you to Visit Estonia and Visit Finland for hosting a wonderful evening. Both destinations are definitely going to be included in our Summer travel plans!
