Minister: No island ferry ticket price hikes in near future
Minister for Regional Affairs and Agriculture Madis Kallas (SDE) said Saturday that feared ferry ticket price hikes on services linking Estonia's largest islands, Saaremaa, Muhu and Hiiumaa, to the mainland, will not materialize.
The ministry Kallas heads up had previously informed municipalities of a planned 10-percent ticket hike for non-permanent residents, for the next year.
Minister Kallas said that he had met with Saaremaa and Muhu local government representatives to talk over the issues in more detail.
Given that, they said, Saaremaa's business environment is suffering more even than the rest of the country's, and that flight connection ticket prices are set to rise, "I would venture to say that at present we do not foresee a price rise, even for non-islanders – non-Hiiumaa or Muhu-dwellers too – for next year," Kallas said.
Price increases conversely would further reduce the competitiveness of companies on the islands, compared with the rest of Estonia, Kallas said.
Flight tickets to both Saaremaa and Hiiumaa will rise in price by €4 from the start of the new year.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Marko Tooming
