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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 13:37

Number of foreign travelers visiting Latvia up 0.6% in 2018

Edīte Miezīte Transport and Tourism Statistics Section, 26.04.2019.Print version
The latest data of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) show that in 2018 foreign travellers crossed the border of Latvia 7.8 mln times, which is 0.6% more than the year before. Last year foreign travellers spent EUR 751.9 mln in Latvia, which is EUR 3.7 mln or 0.5% more than a year ago.

In 2018, Latvia was visited by 1.9 mln foreign overnight travellers (0.2% less than in 2017), spending 3.2% or EUR 516.7 mln less. Compared to the year before, the total number of nights spent reduced by 11.3%, reaching 7.9 mln nights. Visitors stayed in Latvia on average for 4.0 days – 0.5 days fewer than in 2017.


Compared to the year before, increase was recorded in the number of foreign overnight travellers from Sweden (of 15.6%), United Kingdom (3.9%), Germany (1.7%) and Russia (0.4%). Decline, in turn, was observed in the number of foreign overnight travellers from Estonia (of 8.3%) and Lithuania (8.5%).


Foreign overnight travellers in 2017 and 2018: number and changes
(thousands)



Most of the overnight travellers (88.2%) came to Latvia for tourism purposes, 38.9% of them came for recreation, 31.5% – to visit relatives and friends, and 17.9% – on business trips, whereas 11.8% came to Latvia for other purposes, for example, to study.


Last year, the average daily expenditure amounted to EUR 65.71, which is EUR 5.50 more than in 2017.


The largest share of nights in Latvia (75.7%) was spent at rented or paid accommodation, while 24.3% at private or non-rented accommodation (at friends or relatives, summer cottages and other non-rented accommodation). On average, one traveller spent 6.8 days at private non-rented accommodation, which is 3.6 days more than at rented accommodation establishments (3.2 days on average).


Out of all overnight foreign travellers who crossed the border of Latvia in 2018, 54.1% used air transport, 35.8% – road transport, 6.4% – sea transport and 3.7 % – rail transport.


Last year, most of the border crossings (in both same-day and overnight trips) were made by people coming from our neighbouring countries: Lithuania (35.2%), Estonia (17.4%) and Russia (9.1%). Increase was observed in border crossings made by people from Sweden (56.8%), Belarus (45.7%) and United Kingdom (36.0%).


Border crossings made by foreign travellers in 2017 and 2018: number and changes by country
(thousands)

Country

2017

2018

Changes (2018, compared to 2017), %

Total

7725.8

7775.2

0.6

Lithuania

2896.6

2733.6

-5.6

Estonia

1435.6

1356.6

-5.5

Russia

717.7

703.9

-1.9

Germany

485.1

465.2

-4.1

United Kingdom

266.2

362.1

36.0

Sweden

214.9

337.0

56.8

Poland

307.2

267.5

-12.9

Belarus

173.7

253.0

45.7

Finland

185.9

186.9

0.5


Compared to 2009, the number of border crossings made by foreign travellers increased by 64.5%, but expenditure – by 53.6%. Over the ten years, significant upturn may be observed in the number of border crossings of overnight travellers (of 47.3%), but average length of stay remained the same (4.0 nights).


Characteristics of foreign travellers; 2009–2018

 

Number of border crossings, thousands

Total expenditure of persons crossing border, million euros

Number of border crossings by overnight travellers, thousands

Nights spent by overnight travellers, thousands

Average length of trip, nights

2009

4 727

489.6

1 323

5 263

4.0

2010

5 042

475.1

1 373

5 297

3.9

2011

5 538

540.0

1 493

6 126

4.1

2012

5 569

545.8

1 435

5 799

4.0

2013

5 822

608.4

1 536

7 017

4.6

2014

6 246

668.5

1 843

7 828

4.2

2015

6 842

742.2

2 024

8 154

4.0

2016

6 797

726.1

1 793

8 776

4.9

2017

7 726

748.2

1 949

8 865

4.5

2018

7 775

751.9

1 946

7 864

4.0







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