Saaremaa Port becomes tourist magnet in 2006

Seven cruise ships have visited the port of Saaremaa, which was opened in the middle of June; another two are still expected to come. However, even more people have come to see the new port by land. Peeter Palu, the director of Saaremaa Port, says that the first summer season has run smoothly. He thinks that local people have profited well from the tourists and real estate prices have gone up by 10 times. The cruise ship Lily Marlen, which carries mainly elderly German tourists, will visit Saaremaa this coming Friday for the eighth time. The last cruise of the summer will take place on September 22.