Feliks Magus: Exceptional year for Tallinn

2 No.2/2011 Baltic Stand By
travel news
Bangkok | Beijing | Delhi | hong kong | nagoya | osak a | seoul | shanghai | singapore | Tok yo
Announcing the new, dAily Shortcut to
SINGAPORE
Fly the shorter, faster route via Helsinki to all major destinations in Asia.
See our opening offers at finnair.ee Flights start 30.5.
Top stories
4
Spotlight on Tallinn
The Estonian capital is looking
forward to a busy year of increasing
incoming tourism, higher hotel
occupancy and high-profile events
in the European City of Culture.
We speak to the organisers of
Tallinn 2011.
Year of change
The cheapest 4-star hotels in the
world are in Tallinn. But while
there are still problems for Estonia’s
hotels, Feliks Magus, president
of the Estonian Association
of Hotels and Restaurants, says that several
pressures should raise rates in 2011.
8
14
Olympic hotel
The towering 28-floor Radisson
Blu Hotel Olmpia, one of the
biggest and best-known hotels in
the Baltic region, boasts a fascinating
history tied in with the
1980 Olympic Games.
Raising the stakes
Why has Lufthansa taken the
intriguing step of increasing its
number of frequencies between
Vilnius and Frankfurt? How did the
German airline carry a record high
number of passengers to and from the Baltics in
2010? We talk to Matthias Hinze, its representative
in the region.
26
Cruise adventures
The rise in demand for cruise
holidays is clear. Royal Caribbean
Cruises has just announced that
it will deploy 19 of its ships in
Europe during summer 2012, an
increase from the 17 ships it will have in Europe
this summer. But what kind of vessels are they?
28
travel news
Incoming insight
Tourism chiefs in the Estonian capital think that
2011 will be an exceptional year. We find out why
by speaking to Evelin Tsirk, general manager of the
Tallinn City Tourist Office & Convention Bureau.
7
LIVE RIGA in 2011
The latest Riga Tourism Development Bureau
marketing campaign for spring and summer targets
multiple countries and also has a new social
media-driven element, boosting the profile of the
Latvian capital.
10
accommodation
GMs congregate
What do Le Grand and the Ritz in Paris, the Adlon
in Berlin, Gritti Palace in Venice and the Hotel
Olmpia in Tallinn have in common? Their GMs
are members of the European Hotel Managers
Association, which has just held its AGM in
St Petersburg.
12
Watery attractions
The spa hotel with the biggest swimming pool in
Estonia has just installed the biggest Jacuzzi in
Estonia! The giant 25 sq m, square-shaped Jacuzzi
complements a 50 m pool at the successful
Kalev Spa Hotel & Water Park in Tallinn.
12
Three more years
Kurt Ritter’s employment agreement at Rezidor
has been extended for another three years past
the previous expiry date of February 2012. So just
who is Kurt Ritter?
15
transport
Air partnership
The Latvian national airline airBaltic has renewed
its partnership agreement with tour operator
Tez Tour, and also launches a range of new
destinations for the summer season.
18
Riding a wave
The shipping company Scandlines reports an enormous
increase in transport volumes in Baltic traffic
during 2010, with its own passenger volumes
rising by almost 50%.
19
Crash record
Which airlines are on the list of the European
Commission’s new update of banned carriers in the
European Union due to fresh safety concerns?
20
travel contents news
No more ash crises
Airline proclaims new progress on ash “identifier
and detector system” a year on from the
volcanic ash cloud that closed European airspace
for five days.
21
destination profile
Amazing Azores
Each of the nine Azorean islands has its own
charm, but they also have things in common –
a volcanic origin; the exuberance and greatness
of the landscapes; the inhabitants’ calm way
of life; and the deep relationship between Man
and Nature.
22
www.standbynews.info www.standbynews.info
Baltic Stand By No.2/2011 3
tourism
Value in Riga
A popular travel website has named Riga as the
best-value destination for city breaks this spring –
ahead of Warsaw, Budapest and even Tallinn with
its cut-price hotels.
24
Insurance risk
A new study by an independent cruise comparison
website reveals that more than half of cruisers,
52%, choose not to buy travel insurance for their
holiday. Why?
24
Thunder dragon
Nestled in the eastern region of the Himalayas,
Bhutan is a small Kingdom fondly referred to as
the Land of the Thunder Dragon. This is where
age-old customs and traditions still play a big part
in everyday life.
25
Representative in the Baltic States: Check-in Baltic Ltd, Palasta Street 10, LV-1050, Riga
Website: www.standbynews.info E-mail: maris@standbynews.info Phone: +37129207271 +4570259700
Editor-in-Chief: Howard Jarvis, editor@standbynews.info Project Manager: Maris Jekabsons, maris@standbynews.info
Design: Guntis Gvozdevs Printing: SILVERPRINT Publisher: Scandinavian Travel Media ApS. Contributing photos: Vaiva Abromaityte, Anatol Steven
Baltic Stand By is distributed to travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, coach, bus and rail companies, and foreign tourist representatives.
Distribution covers the three countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, plus key travel / tourism business decision-makers throughout Scandinavia and Europe.
Baltic Stand By bears no responsibility for unsolicited editorial material.
Circulation: 8 000
www.standbynews.info
Feliks Magus:
Exceptional
year for Tallinn
Lufthansa boosts
Baltic traffic
Riga cheapest
city break; Tallinn
cheapest hotels
Major cruise line
raises deployment
Tallinn hotel with
Olympic history
Travel and tourism trade magazine
No.2/2011