“Scandinavia’s best-kept secret.”^†

† The title comes from a tourist brochure, Enterprise Estonia, “Introduce Estonia” Marketing Concept for Tourism.

Tourism promotion, nation-branding, and identity construction in Estonia (with a free guided tour of Tallinn Airport)

Abstract

This article surveys the official narrative on representation of Estonian identity and Estonianness through the tourism strategy implemented by Estonia from 2007 to 2015. Gathering material from brochures and documents targeting foreigners produced by the Estonian Institute and “Enterprise Estonia” (EAS) and analyzing the logic behind the interior design of Tallinn Airport, we engage with current debates on identity construction in post-Soviet spaces. In particular, we suggest that along with an established body of literature looking at the role of state actors in the construction of identity, studies should consider the role of nontraditional or non-state actors in identifying and promoting identity markers.

Keywords:

• national identity
• nation-branding
• nation-building
• tourism
• heritage
• Estonia

Notes

† The title comes from a tourist brochure, Enterprise Estonia, “Introduce Estonia” Marketing Concept for Tourism.

1. For example, the name of the cafe “Kohver” in Estonian means a piece of luggage as well as coffee.

2. The same images are displayed around ferry terminals in Tallinn harbor, an important gateway for tourists coming from Sweden and Finland.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Executive Agency [grant number MCA-ITN-2012-TENSIONS].