More than 20,000 travel to Saaremaa for Midsummer
ERR's correspondent on Estonia's western islands, Margus Muld, reported on Sunday that the number of people on Saaremaa, the largest island, almost doubled over Midsummer, as some 20,000 tourists added to 33,000 permanent inhabitants.
Ferry operator TS Laevad confirmed that more people spent Midsummer on Saaremaa than did so in past years. Passenger numbers over the weekend increased by 40 percent, the number of vehicles moved from Virtsu to Kuivastu harbor even by 45 percent, the shipper said.
In actual numbers, this means more than 20,000 passengers, and some 7,000 vehicles, Muld said.
Due to the large number of people traveling back to the Estonian mainland on Monday, all of the ferries were sold out. Travelers without trips booked in advance were relegated to waiting in line at Kuivastu harbor.
Saaremaa is traditionally one of the more fashionable Midsummer destinations for locals as well as for tourists. As in previous years, TS Laevad announced well ahead of Estonia's most popular summer holiday that they would add an additional ferry and as many additional trips as possible to their regular schedule. The Road Administration, in charge of arranging flights between Tallinn and the island capital of Kuressaare, also announced additional flights.
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Editor: Dario Cavegn