The figures may mean not only a recovery to pre-pandemic levels, at least in incoming tourism, but potentially even greater numbers than seen in summer 2019. This will push up hotel and accommodation room rates, however.

As well as the XXVIII Song and Dance Festival running July 3–6, summer sees a packed schedule of big names from the world of popular music playing in Tallinn.

Two are already done: Last week, U.S. band Imagine Dragons played to a packed crowd, while on Monday, it was the turn of another American act, Justin Timberlake, to perform below the song festival arch. This event also coincided with the Estonia-Norway World Cup football qualifier.

It seems a variety of tastes are catered to as well. Later in June, Australia's Kylie Minogue will perform, while her compatriots, rock legends AC/DC, are to appear just over a month later. The Õllesummer festival follows at the end of July/beginning of August.

Other highlights over summer include rapper 50 Cent, legendary French composer and performer Jean-Michel Jarre, DJ David Guetta, also from France, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, and U.S. heavy metal act Manowar. Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós will round off the summer, appearing in early September.

As well as home tourists, many fans are expected from Latvia, Finland, and further afield.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Margot Roose (Eesti 200) told "Aktuaalne kaamera": "Based on the numbers, we can say that about 35–40 percent of tickets are being bought by foreigners. They come here, use the services, stay in hotels – all of this brings a great deal of tourist activity to the capital for a few days."

Naturally, this means a busy time for those hotels, restaurants, and other businesses.

Estonian Hotel and Restaurant Association CEO Külli Kraner said this was already apparent in the first week of the first month of summer.

"This June, compared with last year, we're seeing about 5 percent growth in hotel occupancy. Seasonally, we're seeing a price increase nationwide of about 30 percent," Kraner said.

Latvian tourists are providing the biggest contribution in terms of growth, but Finland's are significant too, she added.

Finnish tourists will of course mostly come by ship to Tallinn.

Board member at Tallink Grupp Piret Mürk-Dubout said: "We're happy there are more concerts. There are certainly thousands more tourists and more movement between Estonia and Finland than last year. Overall, passenger traffic numbers show that our sales pace is ahead of last year. Together with Tallink, we've also arranged several special departures to accommodate concert organizers and visitors. We've departed both from Tallinn and Helsinki, well after midnight. These journeys have had thousands of extra passengers."

The Song Festival, held every five years, would have been last year, but the pandemic put back preparations by a year.

Mürk-Dubout said pre-COVID levels have been reached when it comes to ferry traffic, and with large event attendees included, there are even more passengers than six years ago.

Sometimes "concert tourism" works in the opposite direction, for instance, last week's Duran Duran concert in Tampere, which took place on the same night Imagine Dragons were playing in Tallinn.

However, hotels and other accommodation businesses say they have reason not to be overly optimistic simply based on one summer.

Kraner said: "In our view, the sector has not yet achieved recovery and stability. The numbers may show we've reached 2019 levels, but in our estimation, all the costs and the economic situation still have such an impact that we definitely can't talk about recovery in this sector yet."

Ultimately, the size of the positive impact of the "summer of concerts" on Estonia's tourism sector will not be fully clear until the fall.

Summer also regularly brings large cruise vessels to Tallinn.

Large events also take place outside of the capital; Dutch DJ Martin Garrix appeared in Tartu at the end of May, while the home grown band Ewert & The Two Dragons are to give their farewell concert at the song festival grounds there in July. Pärnu's annual Beach Grind festival takes place in July also, and has attracted U.S. rapper Wiz Khalifa and Estonia's own Eurovision third placer Tommy Cash among others this year.
 

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