Baltic States – CIS, Estonia, Markets and Companies, Tourism

While in the first seven months of the year, the number of Russian tourists in Estonia decreased by only 0.5% compared to the same period last year, the number of tourists dropped every month since March, with the exception of June.

The double-digit growth figure of recent years has become a beautiful memory.

The tax-free purchase of Russian tourists via the Global Blue network decreased from May to August a whole 20% year-on-year. The Tax and Customs Board uses only Global Blue data to get a review of tax-free sales and it is the only representative statistics.

Global Blue Estonian regional manager Kati Aru explains that developments are different for different retail sectors. "Everyday items are bought still, so supermarkets are affected by the current state of affairs the least, most likely. The most negative impact is cast by the situation on the fashion and clothing stores, and retailers selling consumer electronics," she assessed.

Aru said that the tax-free purchases of Russians have been rising since 2010, and Russian middle class likes the Estonian shopping environment.

Average purchase amounts vary by region – in Narva, the average purchase sum of a Russian tourist is around EUR 120, in Tallinn it reaches almost 200 euros.

"It is true that, compared to the previous year, the average purchase amounts are falling, while in some areas the fall is as low as three to five euros, and in others, around 20 euros," said Aru.