TALLINN (TBT) - Estonia’s tourist numbers have dropped 15 percent in the last year as visitors from Finland, Russia and Germany have decreased. The only areas seeing an increase in tourism were towns where new spas had been opened, in Lääne-Viru and Ida-Viru Counties.

The number of Swedish tourists have remained steady, according to the Estonian Statistics Bureau, though the number of Finns taking the ferry over to buy cheap alcohol has also decreased.

Hotels reported about 35,000 beds available for tourists with only 29 percent of them being occupied. Prices of accommodation however, are going down. The average night in a hotel is around 429 kroons (27 euros) down 29 kroons from 2008.

Tallinn currently receives the most visitors, followed by Pärnu and Tartu.

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