Summary in English

Estraveller is Estravel's quarterly customer magazine with an ordinary circulation of 11,000 copies. 9,500 copies of Estraveller are sent by direct mail to Estravel"s loyal customers, the Estravel Kuldkaart (Gold card) owners, and partners, and the rest is distributed through Estravel"s sales offices. Estraveller containes material about destinations, many facets of Estravel and the services and products offered as well as travel stories by our clients. In 2001 six issues of Estraveller will be published, all of them full colour 100 pages.

Cover Story: Where should I go to escape the winter spleen? This is the question for many Estonians. Winters here are so dark and depressing that people not just dream of sunshine, it becomes a physical need. In the cover story of this issue, Estraveller charts this winter's top destinations.

Top News: On February 1st, 2001, the newest and finest business and conference hotel in Tallinn will open its doors for business travellers and tourists. "City of Tallinn has a top priority position in Baltic development strategy of Radisson SAS Hotels," Mr Tjorbjörn Bodin, General Manager of the SAS Radisson Tallinn Hotel, says to Estraveller.

The new SAS Radisson hotel in Tallinn has 277 rooms, 2 restaurants, 17 conference/banquet rooms, a health club. Radisson Hotels&resorts has been operating in the Baltics for six years with hotels in Riga and Vilnius and is now the leading international hotel operator in the region.

Shop till you drop: London is a cosmopolitan mixture of different cultures, a conservative as well as a modern trend-setting city. History, fashion, arts or music, they all meet in London like nowhere else. Shopping is the main pastime here. It's worth taking a walk through Harrods even if the security staff instruct you how to carry your day pack. It's also worth a peek in Fortnum & Masons, the Queen's grocer, to see its renowned, olde-worlde food hall and enjoy your afternoon tea. Or visit huge street markets. Or even see some sights…

One resort, five villages: Åre in Sweden is the leading Nordic centre for alpine skiing suitable for all ages. It offers a large choice of easy or very easy pistes for beginners while experienced skiers can opt for numerous challenging slopes.

Voice of America began broadcasts in Estonian in 1951. To date, the Service is affiliated with 11 Estonian radio stations. Markus Larsson, VOA Estonian Service Chief, tells about his work, himself and also about the tourist sights of the US capital.

100 days in Estonan Air: Erki Urva is a well known figure in Estonian travel industry. He has held executive positions in Estonian Holidays, Wris, EUnet Estonia, Optiva Bank, and is now Vice President of Estonian Air. "I have not changed my profession, my job has always been customer service," says Urva. "And airline business is part of travel business anyway."

For five years, Wris Tours, a privately owned Estonian tour operator, has been arranging direct charter flights from Tallinn to popular sunny destinations. Says Margit Rebane-Pent, CEO of Wris Tours: "Our aim is to provide perfect service to Estonian consumers, as well as destination sightseeing activities in their own mother tongue".

In response to market demand, Estravel runs a special division that provides services in the Russian language. "Russian customers' psychology is different, they want to discuss their travel plans with our employee in more detail than Estonians and to do it in their own language," says Madlena Grintshak, Division Manager. "Our experienced travel consultants speak fluent Russian and know well the special needs of the Russian-speaking clientele."

Florida is a perfect destination to escape from Estonian nasty winter. Hanna Miller, Estravel's customer and author of several TV-programs, recalls the travel attractions of the Sunshine State.

Fishing piranhas. Margus Schults, Vice President of Ühispank and long-time customer of Estravel, had a most interesting tour to the South America. In this issue he tells our readers about his travel experience in Amazon rainforests in Brasil.

"Those Interrail adventures in Europe were the most exciting days of my life." says Riin Alatalu, Manager of Internal Auditing and Sales Control of Estravel, telling about her low budget travels as a young student ten years ago, using the ever-popular Interrail ticket.

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