The Nordic Hotel Forum, the 4-star business and conference hotel on Viru Square, was accepted as a member of WORLDHOTELS on 20 August 2010, becoming the first hotel in the Baltic States to receive such an honour. The hotel joins the chain's First Class Collection.

WORLDHOTELS is the oldest European-based group of independent hotels and worldwide regional brands. It has been operating for 40 years and is an internationally recognised sales and marketing chain, representing almost 500 hotels in 300 destinations in 70 countries around the globe. The hotels are divided into three categories: the Deluxe Collection, the First Class Collection and the Comfort Collection. The online reservation system Trust Voyager makes it possible to book hotels via a number of reservation centres used by the majority of the world's tourism companies.

Although the WORLDHOTELS chain was established four decades ago, it has proven itself to be more than capable of keeping up with the changing times. Its fundamental mission has not changed since its early days: it still aims to offer a unique hotel service to unique people.

"Joining the chain hasn't led to any changes in ownership or management," explained Feliks Mägus, Chairman of the Board of Nordic Hotels. "We'll still be operating under the Nordic Hotels trademark."

Now that it is a member of the chain, Nordic Hotels will be able to make use not only of its international sales channels, but also of its broad-reaching know-how in the hotel industry. "There's no doubt that WORLDHOTELS will make a major contribution to the marketing of Estonia as a travel destination," Mägus said.

For further information please contact:

Feliks Mägus
Chairman of the Board, Nordic Hotels OÜ
Telephone: +372 622 2910 / Mobile: +372 50 40 766

Kersti Vaino
Director of Sales and Marketing, Nordic Hotel Forum
Telephone: +372 622 2915 / E-mail: kersti.vaino[A]nordichotels.eu

Hefty charges for using mobile phones abroad top the list of "holiday rip-offs", according to a survey conducted by Post Office Travel Money in UK (source: PA News).

But this is not your problem when you stay at the Nordic Hotel Forum. The business and conference hotel offers its clients the opportunity to use Skype telephones and gives you Skype Credit, so you can use it to make great value calls to landlines and cell phones across the world and it’s free for you. 

Having a Skype phone in a hotel room makes keeping in touch easier and cheaper. Using Skype generally means that you have a computer and headphones, but at the Nordic Hotel Forum you only need to dial a number – you do not even need to log on to your Skype account.

The hotel’s business rooms were the first in the Baltic region to offer Skype telephone connections and have become a key selling point for the hotel among international executive travellers.

Other top holiday moans:

Charges for using debit or credit cards overseas was the second-biggest moan, the poll of 1,515 people by Post Office Travel Money found.

Baggage charges, poor exchange rates at airports and at hotels and the high cost of taxis and airport transfers also featured in the rip-off list.

Asked to name their major holiday irritant, families named bites and stings, followed by dirty beaches and dirty seawater. Families also expressed fear of getting food poisoning and worried about their children not liking the local food.

The survey coincided with a family holiday report from Post Office Travel Money which compared holiday prices in various countries.

Portugal was rated the best family-value destination, with meal prices having dipped 47% since last year. Prices have also gone down 20% in Cyprus and 17% in Greece but have risen 33% in France.

Eating out in Turkey is around 13% more expensive than it was this time last year. An hour's ride on a pedalo was just £5.41 in Portugal but as much as £11.71 in Cyprus.

Hiring a sun lounger for half a day can cost as little as £1.80 in Spain and Cyprus but nearly £12 in Italy, while a day out for a family of four at a water park can cost twice as much in Cyprus (£90) than in some countries.

Post Office Travel Money head Sarah Munro said: "There is plenty families can do to avoid getting stung on holiday. They should check excursion and attraction prices online before they go to avoid the most expensive and they should also pack kids' beach items that could break the holiday budget if bought overseas.

"Families can save enough to pay out for some unexpected holiday items if they avoid wasting cash by leaving it until the last minute and changing their currency at the airport."

 
Nordic Hotel Forum - the first Skype hotel. Make Skype calls for free!

Under the aegis of the Tourism Development Centre of Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian Tourism Days were held in the country’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo in China at the end of May, and one of those represented at the event was the Nordic Hotel Forum. The Tourism Days were designed to raise awareness of Estonia and boost the number of tourists coming to the country from China and the average length of their stays by 50% within two years.

The Tourism Days, held from 26–28 May, were attended by Expoturism, a non-profit organisation put together especially for the event. The organisation comprises thirteen members: primarily leading Estonian tourism companies and hotels, but also representatives of the City of Tallinn.

110 Chinese tourism companies and media representatives attended the seminar. “Around 4000 Chinese tourists visit and stay in Estonia every year, and that’s a significant number,” said Tarmo Mutso, the director of Enterprise Estonia’s Tourism Development Centre. “That’s why we’re planning another similar event in Beijing this autumn – Estonian companies have a lot of faith in the Chinese market, and you can see why, given the number of enquiries we’ve received. It’s a big thing, really, that companies competing amongst themselves in Estonia have joined forces to reach out to the Chinese market in the way they have. It’s certainly helped generate greater interest.”

Making the event even more entertaining was a performance by Estonian singer Lenna Kuurmaa and her band, which was a big hit among the Chinese audience.

“For a ‘first contact’ scenario it was a huge success, and we hope we’ve got our foot in the door in the Chinese market now,” said Feliks Mägus, director of the Estonian Hotel and Restaurant Association and Chairman of the Board of the Nordic Hotel Forum. “If we manage to sign some good deals, Estonian tourism will gain a lot from it. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re consistent – and persistent – in our approach. If we’re going to raise Estonia’s profile, the public and private sectors need to keep working together.”

According to the statistics of the China National Tourist Office, Chinese travellers made 48.6 million trips abroad in 2009, 6% more than in 2008. The World Tourism Organisation cites China as one of the biggest and most rapidly growing tourism nations, expecting it to reach 50 million foreign trips in 2010 and 100 million by 2020.

The members of the Expoturism non-profit organisation are Baltic Tours, Estonian Holidays, Estravel, Kaleva Travel, Via Hansa, Wris, Nordic Hotel Forum, Reval Hotels, Saarehotell, Spa ja Konverentsihotell Strand, Olympic Casino, OÜ Elujõud (a tourism farm in Viljandi County) and EHTE (tourism school). Its partners are the Tourism Development Centre of Enterprise Estonia and the Enterprise Board of the City of Tallinn.

The 2010 list of the 50 best Estonian restaurants has been published. The evaluation committee this year comprised staff from Estonian restaurants and food journalists from Estonia and abroad, who assessed the quality of the food they ate, the level of service they received and the interior design and overall atmosphere of the restaurants. Those members representing Estonian restaurants could not vote for their own establishment.

In the ‘fine dining’ category, whose winners were selected regionally, the overall winner was Alexander at Pädaste manor. Moon café – a newcomer on the scene, but one whose popularity has skyrocketed – was declared Tallinn’s best restaurant, while the winner in Tartu, in the face of some stiff competition, was Crepp. The Nordic Hotel Forum’s restaurant, Monaco (www.restaurantmonaco.ee), was ranked 17th overall.

A separate category showcased restaurants and cafés offering authentic Estonian cuisine. Instead of being ranked, those deserving praise were simply listed in alphabetical order. They included delightful locales such as Muhu’s fish café and Altja Inn, to name just a couple.

In association with the Postimees daily newspaper, a separate poll was recently conducted in which the general public could also vote for their favourites. Tartu readers agreed with the critics, nominating Crepp. Tallinn readers, meanwhile, chose Nevskij as their favourite restaurant.

The survey was organised by the Eesti Maitsed / Flavours of Estonia web portal. The country’s top 50 restaurants were ranked for the third consecutive year.

The full list can be found online at www.eestimaitsed.com .

Nordic Hotel Forum is pleased to announce that the travel portal Expedia has chosen Nordic Hotel Forum to its Insiders’ Select 2010 list of best hotels.

Expedia knows top hotels. And so do their customers. So who better than Expedia to provide a list of the best hotels in the world? Expedia Insiders’ Select is just that: an easy-to-browse list of top hotels in terms of value and quality, as determined by their experts. Expedia has an extensive network of hundreds of experts in top destinations worldwide, who provided their insight and firsthand knowledge of their destination’s best hotels.

How does a top hotel make the Insiders’ Select list? Expedia reviewed more than 114,000 hotels and resorts, giving each one a numerical score. These scores are completely independent of advertisers and partners. Only the top hotels with the highest scores made it onto our Insiders’ Select list. Expedia reviewers awarded Nordic Hotel Forum 91.20 points out of a possible 100.

Expedia is home to more traveler reviews than any other online travel agency. Expedia travelers submitted more than 570,116 new Traveler Opinions on hotels across the globe—in 2009 alone. To ensure authenticity, Expedia verifies each Traveler Opinion by confirming that the reviewer has stayed at the property within the past six months. To qualify for the honor of inclusion on the Expedia Insiders’ Select list, a hotel had to have a minimum number of reviews in 2009.

In addition, Expedia systematically compared hotels and resorts to nearby properties with similar star ratings and amenities in order to determine the best value for your money.

See the list of Expedia Insiders’ Select 2010.

Photo: Lennart Meri Conference 2009 (ICDS).

"Tomorrow’s NATO – Stronger Values and Stronger Capabilities"

The International Centre for Defence Studies (ICDS, www.icds.ee) organises the international Lennart Meri Conference, which will be held from 21–23 April 2010 in Tallinn, Estonia, in parallel with the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting. The conference venue will be Nordic Hotel Forum Tallinn.

The Lennart Meri Conference is a high-level annual meeting at which foreign and security policy issues are discussed from the perspective of the Northern and Eastern parts of Europe. The participants, from Europe, the United States, Russia and further, include heads of state, ministers, parliamentarians, senior officials from international organisations, academics and media representatives.

The conference was conceived in 2007 to carry forward President Lennart Meri’s legacy as a leading European statesman and foreign policy thinker and to ensure that Estonia continues to be seen as a country willing and able to play a proper part in the identification of solutions to Europe’s problems. It has since developed to become the biggest security conference in the region.

The conference agenda reflects issues that are directly or indirectly related to the security of the North- Eastern corner of Europe, including: the trans-Atlantic relationship, the future of NATO and the EU, energy security, Russia and its relationships with its neighbours, the future of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the economic health of Europe and the world.

This year the Lennart Meri Conference will focus on the following topics:

- Strong Values and Strong Capabilities: Making the Strategic Concept a Reality·
- Afghanistan and Pakistan – When and How Can ISAF Exit?
- Bridging the Brussels Gap: How to Make the EU and NATO Work Together?
- Russia: Where Is Co-operation Realistic?
- The Costs and Benefits of the Economic Crisis
- Off the MAP? – What Is Next for NATO Enlargement?
- The Lost Clause – Decoding Article IV of the Washington Treaty
- Reassurance and the Credibility of Article 5
- Clean Energy: Making the World’s Energy Market Less Murky
- Russia’s Future - Modernization or Stagnation?
- A New Success Story? Euro-Atlantic Integration of the Western Balkans·
- Iran – To Engage or Deter?
- The Black Sea: Turkey’s Role and Europe’s Chance
- Can NATO Stay Credible in a Nuke-Less Europe?
- The Yanukovich Era in Ukraine 
 

Information about „Lennart Meri Conference“

http://lmc.icds.ee/

Mrs Leelet Nellis, leelet[A]icds.ee, + 372 52 22 247

Mrs Piret Sulger, piret[A]icds.ee, + 372 53 41 54 47

Picture: The Grand Place, Brussels

The Estonian Convention Bureau, in association with Nordic Hotel Forum and other Estonian companies operating in the fields of hospitality and tourism, is hosting an event in Brussels on 25 March which is designed to showcase the opportunities available for the organisation of conferences, motivational trips and other such events in Estonia.

15 Estonian companies are taking part in the promotional event and already have meetings arranged with representatives of 70 of Belgium’s biggest corporations, associations and travel companies.

Also attending the event will be the cello quartet C-Jam and Estonian chefs, who will be preparing national dishes using Estonian ingredients for guests to try.

During 25th to 27th March the sequent Tallinn Music Week will take place. This really distinctive event draws together discussion panels with Estonian and foreign top professionals. Discussions of the panels handle music, business, culture as well as other topical and socially acute subjects. Also, performances of young and older Estonian bands take place in Tallinn clubs.

Tallinn Music Week is a showcase festival and a music industry networking event that started out in 2009, a year that was declared the Year of Innovation in Estonia. Having partnered up with the foundation Tallinn 2011 (Tallinn will be the European Culture Capital in 2011!) and the country’s very own brain child Skype, it is a new and fresh initiative with an aim of integrating the Estonian music industry effectively into the European industry circuit, thus providing a new platform for the country’s best talent to spread further from its country’s borders.

Tallinn Music Week 2010 is excited to announce a festival line-up of 83 bands and musicians that will also include a completely new segment of music this time — at our second-ever festival we are proud to showcase some brilliant contemporary classical music, presented by the Estonian Composers Union. Our hard rock and metal enthusiasts of Nailboard Records and Hard Rock Laager have this time taken an impressive initiative in expanding their showcase into a full three-day festival of its own right — the Tallinn Metal Week, that will take place at the club Tapper. Jazzkaar Festival and the Estonian Jazz Union will share the grand No99 Theatre with Viljandi Traditional Music Centre to stage the promising jazz talent and some exhilarating world music outfits. Rulers of the Deep, the Estonian deep house superstars known far and wide, will present themselves together with some fresh club music talent by Julm Records. The night-time festival hot spot will again be the beloved underground “Mecca”, the Von Krahl Theatre & Bar in the heart of the old town, that will host the Radio2 showcase of witty pop and rock on Friday and the Hea Uus Heli (Good New Sound) festival showcase, full of some gorgeous indie, electronica and shoegaze on Saturday. You will most definitely love it once you end up at Mustpeade Maja (The Lodge House of the Order of the Blackheads) — a mystical basement bar with vaulted ceilings in a 15th century craftsman’s house that will be musically programmed by the concert series Odessa Pop and the Estonian Composers’ Union this time, or at Juuksur bar — a Soviet-time hairdresser’s that is now the indie kids’ favourite getaway just around the corner. Those of you longing for a darker experience with some drone, punk and dark electronica will have a good reason to head towards the RockStars bar. In Tallinn’s biggest live club Rock Café you will find the heart-warming opening party “Humppa tai kuole”(our Finnish friends will get it) and some Latvian superstars on the night to follow.

Beside the fantastic Estonian talent, there are also bands from neighbouring countries present at this year’s event: Finland, Latvia and Lithuania are all represented, thus pointing out Tallinn’s significance as the inevitable geographical link between the Nordic countries, the rest of the Baltics and Eastern Europe — an important stop in the routing of any band travelling from Scandinavia to Russia or mainland Europe. “Estonian talent will always remain the focus of Tallinn Music Week, but we’d love to give our guests and festival-goers a broader overview of the whole neighboring market next to Estonia,” comments Helen Sildna, organizer of Tallinn Music Week.

Read more about Tallinn Music Week.

Follow Nordic Hotel Forum:

The 10th International Bach's Chamber Music Festival to be launched on 19th March!

For the 10th time already the audiences in Latvia will be treated to the chamber music composed by J.S.Bach and his contemporaries performed by outstanding globally renowned musicians. Each Bach Chamber Music Festival is unique, but the year 2010 promises to bring fresh strength to the Festival. This is a jubilee year, therefore having started on 19 March the Festival will keep reminding of itself throughout the entire year 2010!

At the opening concert of the festival on 19 March, 19.30, at the Great Guild Hall one of today’s most prominent orchestras Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (Germany) will perform under the guidance of   conductor Reinhard Goebel,  the founder of the legendary baroque ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln. The audience will witness a magnificent event - the world's premiere of Johann Christian Bach’s cantata Ino. Soloist - Inga Kalna.

Tickets are available for other Festival concerts too:

On 3 April , 19.00, at the Colonnade Hall of Riga History and Maritime Museum Bach’s music will be played and danced by the artists from France Hélène Schmitt (baroque violin) and Raphael Cottin (dance), where in April,  at the  Hall of the  Blackheads’ House the listeners will enjoy the great virtuoso of   viola da gamba Jordi Savall (viola lira, Spain), this time in duet with  Dimitri Psonis (percussion instruments, Greece). On 13 April at 19.30 in the Small Guild Hall we will hear Helsinki Baroque Orchestra (Finland). Conductor Aapo Häkkinen, soloist Teppo Lampela (countertenor). An outstanding event in the Festival programme is scheduled for 20 April, 19.00, at the Colonnade Hall  of Riga History and Maritime Museum: for the first time in Latvia we will hear  the early pianoforte! The instrument will be brought to Riga through kind assistance of the company J. C. Neupert and played by the great pianist Alekxei Lubimov (Moscow).

On 19 June Bach’s Festival concerts will take place at Jaunmokas Castle garden party, and later, in November, Riga will welcome a baroque ensemble from Belgium  Il Gardelino, musician Paolo Pandolfo (viola da gamba, Italy), a child prodigy from Netherlands   Erik Bosgraaf (flute), and a baroque ensemble from Moscow Pratum Integrum. A very special concert in autumn is being prepared by the hostess of the Festival  Aina Kalnciema jointly with the attractive musicians Rihards Zaļupe (percussion instruments) and Oskars Petrauskis (saxophone).

The tickets to the Festival concerts are available at Biļešu Paradīze booking offices (tel.: 90002000) and online: www.bilesuparadize.lv.

You can follow the events of the Festival also on Twitter - http://twitter.com/bachfestival_lv and on the Festival website: http://www.music.lv/bachfestival / .

Bach’s Chamber Music Festival that started as intimate chamber music nights at Reitern’s House now has evolved into a festival of international significance every year bringing to Riga the celebrities of the baroque music from Europe, contributing to the image of Riga as a city of music lovers and fostering its own devoted audience.   Enjoy the harmony of the baroque music in Bach’s Chamber Music Festival!

The Festival and its Director Aina Kalnciema personally extend their gratitude to all the sponsors and supporters for their devotion to the spirit of the Festival this year yet again!

Let us meet in the Festival concerts!

Contact information:
Liene Paukšēna
Coordinator  of the 10th International Bach’s Chamber Music Festival
E-mail: liene[A]music.lv
Tel.: +371 29 489488

Nordic Hotel Forum has added Thann Travelset into almost all rooms. Also, Thann product selection is sold in the relax centre.

THANN was founded in 2002 with the goal to produce and market natural, high quality spa and care products all over the world under THANN trademark. The company produces only environmentally friendly products, supports human rights and is against child labour and animal tests. The creation of the new collection making up THANN product series is based on aroma therapeutic and scientifically proved effect of plant extracts. All products have a gentle effect, contain natural ether oils and are suitable for everyday use for all skin types. At the production of THANN products the newest knowledge of dermatology and herbs has been implemented. The unique effect is achieved from grains, spices, herbs, natural ether oils and special rice bran oil. Rice bran oil is a source rich in natural antioxidants, containing plenty of E-vitamins softening, moisturizing and protecting skin. THANN products are for women as well as men!

More information about Thann.

Nordic Hotel earned a prestigious International acknowledgement - Skype business implementation award, as we were the first hotel in the Baltic States to introduce Skype phones into business class rooms.

According to Feliks Mägus, the chairman of the management board of Nordic Hotel Forum, skyping with the help of a Skype-phone is a lot simpler than via computer. "If usually using Skype means that you need a computer and earphones, all we need is a phone. Logging into the Skype phone is simple, enter your user name and password and you are then ready to start making and receiving calls. Calls can be made to Skype user account as well as land line phone numbers. For the latter you have to purchase some call time credit from the Skype homepage but Skype to Skype calls are free.  Skype can be viewed as a "central way of thinking" of Nordic Hotel Forum, which has been extended to the rooms, conferences centre as well as our employees.

In addition to Skype phone, business rooms also have free mineral water, possibility to make coffee and tea, free movie channels, fluffy gowns and slippers and free parking spaces in the garage under hotel. Room price also includes abundant breakfast buffet and use of a relaxation centre. Business class room is an ideal choice for a business meeting or conference in Tallinn.

The price of a business class Skype-room starts from 116 Euros. Book here!

Conatct us via Skype: forum_reservations

Tallinn International Horse Show, which during years has turned into a tradition, will this year take place from 18th to 2st of March in Tallinn Saku Suurhall. This is a party unique in the entire Baltics uniting grand and exciting entertainment and beautiful sports. Within the framework of this year's event also Show-Jump Central Europe League World Championship final, turning Tallinn International Horse Show into a great event of the 2010 decade for all Estonian riding fans, will take place.

In addition to Estonia's top riders and horses almost 70 European horse riders on more than 160 horses participate in the World Championship Final held in Tallinn. Besides show-jump competition one can enjoy different horse performances and international level dressage participants. Both dedicated sports fans and horse lovers will find something exciting from the program.

Come and encourage Estonian top horse riders and enjoy world class performance in the competition as well as the show program!

Read more: www.tallinnhorseshow.ee

The festive season is in full swing once again in good old Tallinn. It’s a time when we feel the need to be with those we love more than ever, and to share with them the warmth and spirit of the season.

As it has for centuries, this year Town Hall Square has once again become the focal point of Christmas celebrations in the city. However bright and shiny it may be, no shopping centre can replace the sense of togetherness you feel at the Christmas market on the square. Modern and steeped in history by turns, the market offers not only a wide range of Estonian handicrafts but also entertainment for the entire family, from its littlest members right up to its eldest. Santa Clause is in residence at the market, happy to listen to the Christmas poems the children recite to him and share seasonal treats with them, while his elves scurry busily about the square, peeping out at visitors from behind the tree. There are also performances on the market stage from midday through to the evening hours.

The Christmas market has extended its reach this year to take in the ice skating rink on Harju Street, Freedom Square, the Rotermann quarter and Tammsaare park – bringing Christmas cheer to an even greater number of townsfolk and visitors to Tallinn.

It’s Christmas – a time for hope, understanding and forgiveness. Wintry darkness has never been as bright as it is in the Christmas market around the towering fir tree on Town Hall Square. Let’s enjoy it together!

We’re inviting you to enjoy the Christmas fairytale on Town Hall Square!
The Tallinn Christmas Market is open every day from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm until 7 January.

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays prove particularly jolly on the square. Check the programme for more details. Come and soak up the festive atmosphere under the Christmas tree – the tradition of which on Town Hall Square dates back to 1441, making it the oldest in the world – and enjoy the cultural events that take place here from Friday to Sunday.

This year we also have a number of exciting competitions you can watch and even take part in! Get your cameras ready, and enter your best pictures in the Christmas market photographic contest. The Nordic Hotel Forum is sponsoring a special prize for the person who takes the best picture.

The now traditional competition of tree decoration will be held on the square on 19 December. Santa Clause will of course be in attendance, along with his helpers – the elves Kribinal and Krabinal – and the team from the Nordic Hotel Forum.

Come along and enjoy the lights and music – and while you’re here, why not indulge in some warming Christmas food and drink?

The latest information about the Christmas programme and other exciting events can be found on the Christmas market website.

To see what to expect on the square, check out this Christmas market video.

And don’t tell anyone, but we can let you in on a secret: after his hard day’s work, Santa will be staying with us at the Nordic Hotel Forum!

See you on Tallinn Christmas Market!

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival is a unique event combining a feature film festival with the sub-festivals of animated films, student films and children/youth films. The festival aims to present Estonian audiences a comprehensive selection of world cinema in all its diversity with the emphasis on European films, providing a friendly atmosphere for interaction between the audience, Estonian filmmakers and their colleagues from abroad.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival consists of the main programme, four sub-festivals and a film and co-production market:

Black Nights Film Festival main programme (27 November - 6 December) - International competition programme EurAsia and Tridens Baltic feature film competition. Informative side programmes include fiction and documentary features from previous 2 years, retrospective of a filmmaker, genre or studio, and focus on a country.

Student and Short Film Festival Sleepwalkers (12 - 15 November) - International competition of student films from previous 2 years - fiction, documentary or animation films; national competition of Estonian short films. Special programme of the first works of renown film-makers, selection of a film school and selection of a film festival. Film school.

Animation Film Festival Animated Dreams (18 - 22 November) - Competition of short animations from previous 2 years. Additional non-competitive programmes include a retrospective of a filmmaker and focus on a country.

Children and Youth Film Festival Just Film (21 - 28 November) - Competition of children's films and youth films. Non-competitive special programmes.

Nokia Mobile Phone Film Festival MOFF (1 September - 4 December) - Competition of short films made with mobile phones.

During the festival also Baltic Event film and co-production market (29 November - 2 December) takes place, which screens the newest feature films from the Baltic countries along with a co-production market open for projects from the Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will launch a new regional cinema and audiovisual market Black Market Industry Screenings.  A pilot will take place this autumn from 30th of November to 3rd of December 2009 with up to 48 industry screenings mainly focusing on the new films from the neighbouring regions and smaller film industry countries: Central and Eastern European countries, Nordic countries, Russia and countries like Georgia, Ukraine, Romania, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyztan, Tadjikistan. The traditional Baltic Event screenings, now organised in cooperation with Black Market Industry Screenings, will show the newest features from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Wishing you a wonderful time at the cinema!

Nordic Hotel Forum

Already forth hotel in Latvia – Nordic Hotel Bellevue – has received international eco-certificate of Green Key. Official ceremony of Green Key presentation was hold on 14th October in Nordic Hotel Bellevue.

Green Key certificate was presented by the Minister of Environment in Latvia Raimonds Vejonis and National coordinator of the Green Key. After the ceremony, participants were welcome to have a hotel tour and learn about „green” activities in the company.

Chairman of the Management Board of the Nordic Hotel Bellevue announced: „Nordic Hotel Bellevue employees and management are proud and happy that our every days work in Riga is graduated by certificate of the “Green Key”. To save energy and natural resources gives to our customers clean and natural hotel, to the hotel team more efficient operating and positive attitude to the environment . Our team is  following the “Green” principles today, tomorrow and continuously.  Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallinn get the Green Certificate a year ago”.

The Green Key is an eco-label for tourism facilities that aims to contribute to prevention of climate change and sustainable tourism by awarding and promoting good initiatives. The Green Key aims to change the practices and behaviours of tourism actors including enterprises, authorities, guests, local communities, and to involve them in increasing their responsibility towards their own environment.

The Green Key criteria consist of a number of standardized international criteria, which are mandatory in each country, and more specialized national criteria, adjusted to national legislation, infrastructure and culture. The criteria focus on environmental management, technical demands, and the involvement of guests, staff, and suppliers. The award is voluntarily applied for and granted for one year at a time, during which control visits are made to check that certain standards are upheld and that all criteria are met.

The Green Key programme started in 1994 in Denmark and was in 2002 adopted by the FEE to become the fifth international programme. It has since spread to 640 hotels in 15 countries, including 20 hotels in Estonia and 8 in Lithuania and continues to grow.

In Latvia FEE program has implemented by Foundation for Environmental Education in corporation by Ministry of Environment in Latvia. The board of National judge of Green Key consists of representatives of the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Economics, TAVA, Hotel % Restaurant Association, Ecotourism Association, and others organization and institution of the tourism and environment. The board of National judges is managed by Minister of Environments – Raimonds Vejonis.

Information: Jānis Ulme, GK National coordinator: 22552423, www.videsfonds.lv

Attention all sports fans!

The SEB Tallinn Autumn Fun Run is inviting you to take part in the biggest running event of its kind in the Baltic States on the streets and roads of the Estonian capital on Sunday 13 September 2009.

Distances:

21.1 and 10 km fun runs and a 10 km Nordic walk/walking event

Haribo children’s fun runs will be held in Tammsaare Park, where the kids can race Tibu and Jäpe for the finish line. Every child who finishes a race will share in some great prizes! Children’s registration will take place on the day in the park, and entry is free of charge.

Everyone who takes part in a fun run event is eligible for some great prizes!

• Everyone who crosses the finish line will receive a day cruise for two to Helsinki thanks to Viking XPRS!

• Everyone who takes part will receive a 250-kroon Nike discount voucher and a one-year subscription to Jooksja magazine!

• Everyone who takes part is eligible for fantastic offers from Estonian Air, as ever!

The Nordic Hotel Forum, the official hotel for the event, is offering participants great prices on accommodation – so why not come to Tallinn the day before, relax in the city’s best hotel and enjoy a healthy breakfast on the morning of the fun run? The starting point of the fun run is just 200 metres from the hotel! To request an offer and make a reservation, contact: forum[A]nordichotels.eu, +372 622 2999.

The new products offered by Restaurant Monaco in the Nordic Hotel Forum, located in the Rotermann Quarter, are trilogies in which clients are served a selection of three different dishes. Our clients can also choose the three-course Summer Express every day of the week from noon until the time the restaurant closes. The restaurant’s chef, Oleg Alasi, says that the theme of the summer menu is seasonal freshness, summery and light raw materials and a rich selection of classic salads.

“We paid particular attention to light starters and a large selection of salads when preparing the summer menu. Trilogies are the new starters on our menu that give clients the opportunity to try several dishes of the restaurant at the same time. Our main courses include sashimi tuna steak with oriental extras, duck filler glazed with honey served with stir-fried pineapple and vegetable salad, and stewed lamb fillet with feta cheese sauce, spinach rice cake and smoked tomato. Our selection of desserts wows clients with mango sorbet in pineapple sauce and passion fruit tartlet and such old summer favourites like fresh fruit and berry salad and yoghurt parfait,” said Alasi about the summer menu of the restaurant.

“Restaurant Monaco is located right in the heart of Tallinn and is a great place for taking some time out and enjoying light summery meals. People are welcome not just to dine or enjoy a gourmet supper, but also to spend some time in the company of a glass of good Hoya De Cadenas wine," said Kristel Nõmmik, Food and Beverage Manager of the Nordic Hotel Forum. “You can also try various fresh shakes and healthy smoothies,” she added.

Restaurant Monaco is the cosy 152-seat restaurant of the Nordic Hotel Forum in the Rotermann Quarter. 120 seats are of the brasserie-type and the remaining 32 set amidst a cosier and more private design. A 30-seat terrace is open during the summer period.

The new menu of Restaurant Monaco – a breath of Mediterranean air in the heart of Tallinn!

RESTAURANT MONACO
Nordic Hotel Forum
Viru Väljak 3, Tallinn, Estonia
Phone +372 622 2990
info[A]restaurantmonaco.ee
www.restaurantmonaco.ee

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