The Travel and Tourism Market in Latvia - August 2011

The history of the area now known as Latvia dates back to 2000 BC, when the first Baltic tribes settled in the area. German Teutonic Knights arrived in 1201 and between the 13th and 16th centuries, converted them to Christianity. The ‘Amber Road’ trade route led to membership of the Hanseatic League (German-originated trading alliance), establishing Riga as the nexus of an important trade network that dominated the Northern European coast.

This report looks at the travel and tourism market in Latvia and provides an insight into the market characteristics, accommodation and attractions. It also provides an overview of the arrivals and what’s next in the industry.

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As with all the countries formerly veiled by the Iron Curtain, Latvia is in the process of re-establishing an international identity and reputation, but at present, its visibility and competitiveness in the international marketplace remains low. It currently remains reliant on its neighbours for tourism, with six leading tourism-generating countries: Russia; Lithuania; Sweden; Estonia; Finland and Germany.

Latvia

Introduction

Data Sources

Background

History

Geography

Attractions

Tourism and the Economy

Figure 1: Indicators characterising significance of tourism industries, 2004-08*

Figure 2: Expenditure of international arrivals, 2008-10

Arrivals

International

Figure 3: International arrivals in Latvia, 2000-10

Figure 4: International arrivals in Latvia, by region, 2005-09

Figure 5: International overnights in Latvia, by country of residence, 2006-10

Domestic

Market Characteristics

International

Purpose of visit

Figure 6: International arrivals to Latvia, by purpose of visit, 2006-10

Seasonality

Length of stay

Figure 7: International arrivals to Latvia, by length of stay, 2006-08

Other market characteristics

Figure 8: Experience of visit for international arrivals to Latvia, 2006 versus 2010

Domestic

Purpose of visit

Figure 9: International and domestic arrivals to Latvia, by purpose of visit, 2006-08*

Seasonality

Length of stay

Other market characteristics

Transport

Air

Figure 10: Passenger arrivals to Latvia through Riga International Airport, 2006-10

Airlines

Road

Rail

Sea

Figure 11: Passenger arrivals/departures at the port of Riga, 2005-10

Accommodation

Figure 12: Classified hotels in Latvia, 2010

Figure 13: Accommodation establishments, capacity and arrivals in Latvia, 2008-10

Figure 14: Hotel capacity in Latvia, 2008-10

Figure 15: Number of visitors by country of residence and type of accommodation establishment, 2010

Tourism News

What Next?

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