23 April 2012 (ERR)

Rising prices in their home country have been pushing more Finnish tourists to head south in search of bargains, spending a record 462 million euros in Estonia last year, according to data from the Federation of Finnish Commerce.

The figure marks a 19 percent increase from the year prior, the federation said in a release.

"Finns' price awareness has clearly increased over the past two years and this will raise the level of enthusiasm for travel to Estonia. And the eagerness doesn't seem to be letting up - travel to Estonia is still growing," said the organization's chief economist Jaana Kurjenoja.

Survey data shows that 64 percent of Finns are planning a trip to Estonia this year, compared to 52 percent last year. Of those who are going, more than half said prices were their main motivation..

The stereotype of Finns coming to Estonia to buy cheap booze is certainly supported by poll numbers - 84 percent of the adult population of southern Finland said they imported alcohol from Estonia over the past year. 

Kurjenoja pointed out, however, that Finns in the Helsinki region are increasingly coming to Estonia as an alternative to heading to their local shops and beauty salons, with sweets, clothing, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals among the more popular purchases.