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“Scandinavia's best-kept secret.”† Tourism promotion, nation-branding, and identity construction in Estonia (with a free guided tour of Tallinn Airport)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

Emilia Pawłusz  and
Abel Polese
Emilia Pawłusz
Affiliation:
School of Governance, Law and Society, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
Abel Polese*
Affiliation:
School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland School of Governance, Law and Society, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: ap@tlu.ee
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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 identitynation-brandingnation-buildingtourismheritageEstonia
Type
Articles
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 45 , Issue 5 , September 2017 , pp. 873 - 892
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Association for the Study of Nationalities 

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Footnotes

†

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

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