Case study · tourism portal
Visit Harju: discovering Harjumaa in one portal
Visit Harju (visitharju.ee) is the official tourism portal for Harju County: nature, culture, stays, food, events and business tourism on one platform. Multilingual (ET/EN/FI/DE/LV), with an icon menu and a map application.
The homepage and map app support one main goal: help visitors quickly find what to do, where to eat/stay, and which events are coming – without burying the offer in menus.
Client
SA Harju Ettevõtlus- ja Arenduskeskus
Sector
Destination tourism portal (DMO)
Scope
Design and development
Web
Starting point
Harjumaa is broad: coast, islands, manors, golf, spas, restaurants and events. Visitors need a fast path between categories and the map; tourism professionals need a separate entry. If content is scattered or buried, the portal’s role stays unclear.
Visit Harju addresses this with clear navigation, an experiential hero slider, facts/map context, an events block and a dedicated map application.
Project goals
- Discovery in the first viewport – nav + hero + CTA so visitors can choose a path.
- Context and trust – what Harjumaa is (copy, facts, map).
- Scannable stories – inspiration blocks that lead into deeper content.
- Map as a tool – filtered map application to find places.
- Languages and access – language switcher + accessibility tools in the header.
What the solution does
- Icon menu with six primary journeys
- Hero slides for concrete experiences (e.g. Niitvälja Golf + Read more)
- Intro block: description, statistics, county highlight on a map
- Upcoming events cards + View on map
- Map application: filter by location/region, pins on the map
- Category listings (stays, food, culture, etc.) in multiple languages
Outcome
The portal behaves as a destination hub: inspiration and events pull people in; the map and categories take them to a concrete place. Live: visitharju.ee and the map app.
How the solution works
Four full-section frames (not arbitrary crops). Each maps to one goal.
First viewport: nav + experience + CTA
Goal: Discovery starts in the first viewport: clear nav + experiential hero + CTA Icon menu (Discover, Explore, Eat & rest, Events, Inspiration, Conference venues) plus a full-bleed “Discover Harjumaa” hero. Visitors can pick a path or continue into the story immediately.
Context: copy + facts + map
Goal: Context and trust: what Harjumaa is, in numbers and on a map Short copy, area/population facts and Harjumaa highlighted on an Estonia map. It anchors the portal in geography, not only pretty photos.
Inspiration stories + "Read more"
Goal: Inspiration stories are scannable and open into full articles On /en/inspiration/, travel stories appear as cards: image, title, short excerpt and Read more. Visitors can scan topics (manors, coast, top places) and open a full article without hunting through menus.
Map application with filters
Goal: Map app: filter and find places Filter panel (radius, municipalities) plus an interactive map with pins. The map app itself is shared across languages on the live site – this is the practical next step after inspiration.
Need a similar destination or services portal?
We build sites where discovery, filters and CTAs work together – especially when content is large and multilingual.