Time, an influential American media outlet, has included the Estonian capital, Tallinn, in the magazine’s annual “world’s greatest places” list of 100 destinations.
To compile the list of a 100 “unique destinations”, Time solicited nominations of places – including countries, regions, cities and towns – from its international network of correspondents and contributors, “with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences”.
A shift to walking
“Thirty years after declaring its independence from the Soviet Union, Estonia has emerged as one of the world’s leading digital economies. And its capital, Tallinn, with a medieval city center and a NATO cybersecurity center, embraces modernity while celebrating its history,” Time’s contributor Yulia Denisyuk says of the Estonian capital.
“A solar-powered cruise terminal at the Port of Tallinn is scheduled to open in July, just in time for the resumption of Baltic cruising: from July through September, the MSC Seaview (a Swiss-owned 153,000-gross ton cruise ship – editor) will make port in Tallinn. In less high-tech attractions, the city is encouraging a shift to walking tours for shore excursions (reducing the number of buses shuttling passengers from the port to the old city),” the magazine’s writer notes.
The magazine adds that a new long-distance hiking route connects Tallinn to Estonia’s southern neighbours, Latvia and Lithuania, through a 1,330-mile (2,140-kilometre) cross-border forest trail.
Tourism has been hard hit
Time said in the foreword of the complete list that due to the COVID19 crisis, few industries have been as affected as travel, tourism and hospitality.
“In many ways, our third annual list of the World’s Greatest Places is a tribute to the people and businesses at the forefront of those industries who, amid extraordinary circumstances, found ways to adapt, build and innovate. It shines a light on ingenuity, creativity, revitalization and reopenings in destinations across the world.”
Time is a New York City-based news website and magazine, first published in 1923.
Cover: Noblessner’s port in Tallinn, with the city’s Old Town in the background. Photo by Kaupo Kalda.
