Market shares of Estonian travel agencies revealed

The turnover rating of seven leading IATA travel agencies of Estonia shows Estravel is now larger than the following six competitors combined.

The International Air Transport Association IATA is a worldwide body that regulates all aspects of airline business and transportation by air. Even the two-letter airline codes and three-letter airport codes familiar to passengers are issued by IATA. Travel agencies need IATA accreditation to be able to self-issue flight tickets, which are, legally speaking, contracts of carriage between the passenger and the airline. For clients of travel companies, IATA accreditation, which only comes with strict annual auditing and renewal conditions, implies financial security and compliance with international regulations.

The rating of leading Estonian IATA travel agencies included all accredited agencies registered in Estonia, with two conditions: their primary business had to be selling flight tickets, and they needed to have employees in Estonia. There are 27 IATA-licensed travel agencies in total in Estonia. Of these, Estravel is the largest; in 2017 the gross consolidated turnover of the company and its wholly owned subsidiaries exceeded 91 million euros.

Based on 100% Estonian capital, Estravel is the largest and oldest travel agency in the country. The company operates in six countries and runs 16 travel agency locations in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Australia and the USA. Established in 1988, Estravel is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. With a full time staff of 220 people, the company is the fourth largest native employer in the travel industry of the Baltic States, after Tallink, AirBaltic and Novaturas.