Tourism Developer 2025

Tourism takes Estonia to the world and brings the world to Estonia. If your company tells its own story - and that of its destination - through smart digital solutions, sustainable actions, and memorable visitor experiences, I invite you to apply in the Tourism Developer category.

Your company could be the next success story — both in Estonia and on the international tourism map!

Anneli Haabu
Category Manager for the Tourism Developer of the Year and Sectoral Manager for Strategy and Product Development at Visit Estonia
[email protected]

Objective

To recognise companies that contribute to Estonia’s tourism economy through attractive tourism services and products and contribute to the faster development and wider recognition of Estonia as a tourist destination.

Who can apply?

Companies that are directly involved in offering tourism services and products, whose impact is wider than just their company and are an example for the entire sector are invited to apply.

 

The competition is open to private limited companies (OÜ) and joint-stock companies (AS), non-profit organisations and foundations are not eligible to participate.

Evaluation criteria and process

The following economic indicators are evaluated (makes up a total of 30% of the evaluation):

  1. Increase in sales revenue in percentage from 2022 to 2024 (10%)
  2. Added value1 per employee compared to the sector2 in 2024 (10%)
  3. Added value1 percentage growth per employee from 2022 to 2024 (10%)

The enterprise must show a significant achievement in the following areas over the last three years (comprising 70% of the final result):

  1. A distinctive product, service and/or business model that also stands out in foreign markets (25%)
  2. The impact of the company’s activities on the image of Estonia, the living and tourism environment and the tourism sector in general (e.g. you have found a solution for a missing service in the sector) (25%)
  3. The company’s outstanding activities and achievements in digitalisation3 and process automation (10%)
  4. SDG4, ESG5, Green Key6 or general sustainable operating principles are being created or implemented and disclosed by the company. (10%)

Definitions

  1. Added value per employee = (labour costs including taxes + depreciation of fixed assets + business profit) / number of employees
  2. Sector is a field of activity at EMTAK (NACE) alphabetical letter level according to 2023 data, as 2024 data will be released in late 2025 or at the beginning of 2026.
  3. Digitalisation –By digitalisation, we mean the development of the organisation’s business processes through the application of information technology and innovative automation, which allows for data-based decision-making and more efficient operating and thereby increasing flexibility to market changes. Time freed up from manual work and routine activities increases the quality of work and creates new valuable opportunities, thus being more competitive. Examples:
    a) Automated workflows and processes
    b) Implementation and/or development of business software
    c) Cloud technologies
    d) Data processing and analytics, big data
    e) Internet of Things (IoT) devices, robotics including industrial robots, autonomous industrial automation and robotic process automation (RPA), sensor technologies
    f) Artificial intelligence or machine learning and machine vision
    g) Augmented reality decision support, simulated environments, digital twins
    h) Cyber technologies
    i) Demand-driven supply chain management
    j) Manufacturing/3D printing of three-dimensional components
  4. SDG or the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations as a call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030, all people have peace and well-being. See more: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
    For example: The company has selected and disclosed the SDGs and actively contributes to them in order to achieve sustainable development.
  5. ESG or Environmental Social and Corporate Governance – an environmental, social and corporate governance framework that is integrated into an organisation’s strategy to consider the needs of all organisational stakeholders (such as employees, customers and suppliers and financiers) and find ways to create more value for them. It can be considered a set of management measures and standards through which it is possible to manage the impact of a company and its products and/or services on the environment, people and the economy.
    For example: The company has an ESG strategy, the company has published ESG guiding principles and the company reports on ESG.
  6. Green Key is an international eco-label given to accommodation establishments that follow the principles of sustainable development. Only establishments that comply with strict rules, which are checked by regular inspecting visitors, earn the label. See more: https://www.greenkey.global/