Ahhaa Bucks Trend as Visitor Numbers Continue to Grow
The Ahhaa science center in Tartu was visited by 190,000 people in 2013, 10 percent more than a year earlier, bucking a Europe-wide trend wherein science center visitor numbers dwindle after the novelty has worn out.
Pilvi Kolk, a board member at the center, told ERR radio today that one reason for its popularity is that Estonia's neighboring countries lack such a large center, adding that Ahhaa is reaching the maximum number of visitors and could need an extension to the current complex.
Close to half of Ahhaa's visitors come from abroad, mostly from Russia and Latvia.
The center moved into its current site in May 2011, with visitor numbers reaching 100,000 that year.
Kolk said that the center has two new exhibitions coming up, starting with one on dinosaurs, set to open the end of the year.