Latvia for Tourists — Just a Short Stop. Industry Experts: We Don’t Know How to ‘Sell’ 0 25

Travel has come alive again, but the rules of the game have changed. People are looking for not just a destination, but substance. The tourism industry in Latvia will have to prove that there is indeed something to do here — for longer than just one day.

2025 was filled with contradictory feelings, tourism experts claim. It all started with high hopes related to the European Basketball Championship, expectations for the summer season, and a new vision from the leadership of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency. The overall mood was encouraging.

“There are segments and areas where everything went well, and somewhere — not so well. Of course, statistics show that the number of tourists is increasing, and spending by foreign tourists is also growing — that’s good. But entrepreneurs say that we have both the ability and the opportunities to serve foreign guests at a much higher level than we are doing now,” noted tourism researcher and chairman of the Latvian Association of Travel Agents and Operators, Erik Lingeberzinsh.

“We are in dialogue with the industry, and it compares itself to 2019. If we look at growth, we are very close to those figures. We are slightly lagging behind in the number of overnight stays compared to 2019. But we must remember that the entire industry is reorienting,” said representative of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA), Vita Balode-Andrusa.

The last five years have been traumatic for the industry. Entrepreneurs had to overcome one crisis after another. It was necessary to reorient to other markets — Poland, Spain, Italy. And last year, this was achieved. Latvia was visited by over a million foreign guests — fewer than in 2019, but more than in 2024.

“It must be understood that tourism is influenced by the geopolitical situation in the world. We still see that Western Europe is afraid to come to us,” admitted the chairman of the Latvian Association of Hotels and Restaurants, Andris Kalnins.

What the current year will bring is predicted cautiously by tourism experts. It will depend on a combination of factors, including the purchasing power of Europeans and the development of the war in Ukraine.

“We would like to work with the USA and Japan. These are two markets we are looking at, but we need to ‘sell’ the entire region together. Here we will cooperate with Lithuania and Estonia. As for new markets, we will focus on Poland and Spain next year,” said a representative of LIAA.

There is indeed much to do in Latvia! But this needs to be communicated! Currently, foreign tourists come to us for a very short time — spending less than two nights here.

“Everything is too concentrated in Riga, in the capital. We don’t know how to ‘sell’. For example, now people come for the Christmas market. One day — there, another — a walk around Riga. If you don’t leave the city, there’s no particular reason to stay longer,” said the chairman of the Latvian Association of Hotels and Restaurants.

Surveyed tourists also admitted: Riga is beautiful, but there is no desire to stay long.

“This is the best Christmas market. Latvia is a new country for our family. It’s very beautiful here. And the prices are not too high. But I don’t know if I will come here again. Most likely not. But I will recommend it to others,” said a tourist from the UK, Lee.

“I came from Belgium because I study there. It was a great decision to come here. A wonderful city! This may sound terrible, but I’ve never been to Riga, even though I live in Lithuania. I think Riga can compete with the largest cities in Europe,” believes a tourist from Lithuania, Dovidas.

Last year, tourists brought about 1.5 billion euros to Latvia.

“Unfortunately, we see that neither officials nor politicians have a real understanding of inbound tourism as an export industry. Everyone seems to think that export is when you cut down a tree, export it abroad, and get money. That is real export. But the fact that services are provided here and people leave money — this is not fully understood, it’s hard to explain. If we invest 2–3 million and get back more than a billion, maybe we should add more and get an additional 500 million?” suggested the chairman of the Latvian Association of Hotels and Restaurants.

However, funding for attracting foreign tourists has been reduced this year. If last year it exceeded three million euros, this year it is about two and a half. For comparison: in Lithuania and Estonia, it is three to four times more.

“I consider this a message, a wish to the Ministry of Economics in the new year — to think in terms of the fact that investments in tourism marketing are much less than what we get in return. We are talking about a few million for marketing, while the return — the volume we get back — is one billion,” noted the chairman of the Latvian Association of Travel Agents and Operators.

The industry is confident: if the tourism marketing budget were increased, the economy would gain much more. Hotel occupancy, the number of tourists in the regions, off-season tourism, major events, business and conference tourism — these are opportunities whose potential has not yet been fully utilized.