Entered by Visit Estonia, under Enterprise Estonia

The Treasure Hunt Estonia initiative in the Italian market was to address several key communication needs. Italy, while culturally curious and rich in outbound travel, has low awareness of Estonia as a destination. Inspired by the Otepää Sauna Marathon – an Estonian winter sauna-goers’ race that gained national media attention in Italy – the campaign tapped into Italians’ love for competition and thrill.

The goal? To cut through the noise of abundant travel choices and spotlight Estonia’s unique character with excitement through a competitive angle. The initiative’s playful format offered travel professionals and content creators a hands-on experience of Estonia’s diverse offerings – from nature and wellness to gastronomy and history and doing so, targeting another one of the key challenges to inspire the audience to discover places beyond the capital, Tallinn, which all too often remains the sole focus for foreign arrivals.