Tourism in Riga. Positive growth trends

In 2024, the Latvian capital Riga continued to successfully adapt to global changes in the tourism industry, attracting more Western tourists and replacing the previously dominant proportion of tourists from Russia.

Tourism in Riga in 2024 marked a stable recovery and at the same time a change in the market structure. After the turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, the tourism industry in the capital has become increasingly focused on Western and Nordic demand, which is gradually yielding positive results.

Targeted marketing campaigns

In 2024, the Nordic countries and Poland were selected as the main countries for the largest marketing campaigns. The Nordic countries were chosen because they are stable and reliable markets. For example, Finland has successfully recovered from the pandemic, while Norway is an important and consistently reliable market. Poland, on the other hand, is a market with great potential, rapid economic development and a geopolitical situation similar to Latvia.

Growth indicators increase

Riga is strengthening its place among the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. In 2024, the number of foreign guests in hotels reached 1.1 million – 15.8% more than in 2023, according to data from the Central Statistical Bureau. The total number of nights spent reached 2 million, which is an increase of 10.8%. It is believed that the real number of tourists is higher, as the data does not include short-term rental apartments.

Riga – the leader among the capitals of the Baltic States

When comparing the capitals of the Baltic States, in 2024, as in the previous year, the leader in terms of both the number of nights booked in total and the number of nights booked by foreign guests was Riga (978,200, including 861,000 nights booked by foreign guests), followed by Tallinn (898,100, including 759,700 nights booked by foreign guests) and Vilnius (694,400, including 537,600 nights booked by foreign guests).

Positive trends

It should be noted that tourists from Germany are returning to Riga in sufficiently large numbers, which indicates a recovery in the market and is a positive signal for the industry. Similarly, the number of guests from the United Kingdom is also showing a positive growth trend. Riga is still very popular with Lithuanian tourists – the restoration of rail traffic between Vilnius and Riga is certainly influencing the stable influx of tourists. Also, a good incentive for Estonian tourists to visit the Latvian capital will be the restoration of direct rail traffic between Tartu and Riga, which is planned very soon – at the beginning of 2026.