Latvia welcomed an impressive 2.4 million visitors in 2023, marking a 12.1 percent increase from the previous year, according to the country’s Central Statistical Bureau. Of these visitors, 1.4 million were international tourists, while one million were resident visitors.
Although there was a rise in visitor numbers compared to 2022, the overall tourist numbers are still 14.4 percent lower than in 2019, the year before the pandemic. However, the statistics show that the number of visitors from neighboring countries such as Lithuania and Estonia exceeded the 2019 figures.
The Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia reported, “In 2023, the number of visitors from neighboring countries was larger than before the pandemic in 2019 – the number of visitors from Lithuania was 22.9 percent larger, and from Estonia, 6.1 percent larger.”
The majority of international tourists visiting Latvia in 2023 were from Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom, Poland, the United States, Sweden, Ukraine, and Norway.
The increase in tourist numbers also led to a rise in overnight stays, with 2.4 million visitors spending a total of 4.4 million nights in Latvia in 2023, a 12.6 percent increase from the previous year. International tourists accounted for 2.6 million of the overnight stays, with most of them staying in Riga.
In December alone, Latvia welcomed 167,100 tourists, with a 13 percent increase in both visitor numbers and overnight stays compared to December 2022. Furthermore, Riga Airport witnessed increased passenger traffic in 2023, reaching 6.3 million passengers, marking a 23 percent increase from 2022.
In addition to the rise in passenger traffic, Riga Airport also saw an increase in revenues, earning €5.3 million during the first three quarters of 2023. This growth in tourism and aviation is a positive sign for Latvia’s travel industry and economy.
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