The survey results in Estonia showed that the vast majority of the respondents would like to travel somewhere already this summer if the travel restrictions are lifted, with for example 54 percent of the respondents indicating they would like to travel to Finland. Only 5 percent of the respondents indicated that they would prefer to travel within their own country and 21 percent that they would like to travel further afield than the Nordics and Baltics.

In Finland, similarly, the majority of the respondents indicated that, if allowed, they would like to travel to Estonia and Sweden this summer, with 48 percent saying they are planning to travel to Tallinn this summer and 27 percent planning to travel to Stockholm.

In Sweden the number of people planning to holiday at home this year was largest of the three countries with 46 percent of the respondents indicating they were planning to holiday in Sweden this summer, although 20 percent of the Swedish respondents said they plan to travel to Tallinn.

Approximately half of the respondents in all three countries said they would like to go on a short cruise to neighbouring countries this summer, if the restrictions are lifted.

The number of respondents planning to travel with families and children is greatest in Estonia, with 53 percent of the respondents indicating they plan to take their offspring on holiday this summer. 

When asked what is most important for them on a cruise when travel restrictions are lifted, respondents in Estonia highlighted great entertainment (62 percent), enhanced safety measures for virus prevention onboard (60 percent) and great shopping opportunities (58 percent).

"Our survey clearly shows that the people in the Baltic sea region countries are making plans for this summer and these plans predominantly focus on the possibilities and options they have close to home. The residents of Estonia, Finland and Sweden are understandably weary of travelling to distant shores right now while the pandemic situation globally is far from over, but there is also some weariness of staying at home for too long and clearly some desire there to at least go exploring somewhere near home and somewhere safe," Tallink Grupp's CEO Paavo Nõgene said.

"Estonians, Finns and Swedes are clearly continuously monitoring the epidemic situation in neighbouring countries closely and some travel confidence has been boosted due to a fairly similar pandemic situation in the Baltics and most of the Nordics. The recent improvement in the situation in the Baltics and Finland has led to the survey results we see today whereby travelling to neighbouring countries is very much on the agenda for this summer, providing restrictions are lifted," he said. 

"Our view is that by lifting the travel restrictions with neighbouring countries with similar pandemic situations and by facilitating travelling in our local region, the governments will enable safer travel for many this summer and prevent people seeking alternative opportunities further afield," Nõgene added.

The surveys were carried out among Tallink Grupp's loyalty programme Club One members in May 2020. The number of respondents by country was: 520 in Estonia, 1460 in Sweden and 3702 in Finland.