Last year, the number of tourists in Riga surpassed one million for the first time since 2019, reaching 1.2 million visitors. The number of tourists staying overnight in Riga hotels has increased by 22% compared to 2022.
The fastest growth among Riga's visitors is 38% for visitors from Finland, 30% from Sweden and Poland. The majority of visitors are from Lithuania (12%), Estonia (12%), Germany (8%), Finland (8%) and the UK (8%). 980 000 visitors stayed in hotels and just over 200 000 visitors stayed in apartments.
"Taking into account the year full of important events, international communication activities and campaigns carried out by the industry, associations and the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency, Riga has managed to achieve an impressive 22% increase in the number of tourists. Last year we promoted in particular the Old Town Christmas Market and the Trails of Lights, and as a result we see a steady increase in the number of tourists also at the end of the year," says Fredis Bikovs, Director of Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA).
As a confirmation of the foreigner interest in Riga, the city was ranked 6th among the top 20 best European Christmas markets and Trails of Light, as well as ranked 6th in the europeanbestdestinations.com "Best European Destinations 2024" list, where more than 1 million travellers from 172 countries voted for their favourite destinations in Europe. Riga also ranked 1st in the postoffice.co.uk Christmas Market Top, which secured widespread publicity in the UK.
Riga's international activities scheduled for 2024
In 2024, the most important international communication activities will take place highlighting Riga's summer and winter opportunities, as well as the restaurants recommended by the Michelin Guide. Likewise, important events for Riga will be promoted: Rimi Riga Marathon, FIA World Rally Championship "Tet Rally Latvia", Positivus Festival, etc. Traditional Riga Restaurant Weeks will be organised in spring and autumn. Research data indicates that the number of tourists who use social media to find out more about the destinations they are interested in is increasing: 7% of respondents indicated this channel as the main source of information in 2018, and 30% in 2023, which is why a strong emphasis is being focused on Riga's communication on digital media.
"Almost 60% of tourists are ready to recommend Riga as an attractive travel destination, so we predict that interest in Riga within the European context could only increase. This year, we will prioritise the Scandinavian and Polish tourism markets, where the increase in visitors helps to compensate for the shortfall of Russian and Belarusian tourists, which accounted for 14% of the total tourist flow before the Russian initiated war. We are actively working on a conference or transaction support programme to reduce the impact of the low season. In 2024, we expect a 20% increase in the number of tourists compared to 2023," explains F. Bikovs.
Tourist satisfaction with Riga
RITA's survey on foreign tourists' satisfaction with Riga as a travel destination last year shows that more than half (51%) of the surveyed tourists had a better impression of their journey than they had expected. 47% of the respondents said that their experience was as expected, which means that 98% of the city’s guests felt that the trip was as good as they’d hoped, or better.
78% of the surveyed tourists came to Riga for a holiday longer than four days or for a weekend getaway. Almost 80% of respondents are satisfied with the activities offered in the city, the most appreciated activities are sightseeing in Riga, trips outside the city, opera, concerts, other cultural activities and visits to museums. Riga’s Old Town is still the top location, reported as the biggest point of interest by 35% of the city’s guests.
Data from the Central Statistical Bureau for the year 2023, as well as the qualitative study "Satisfaction of Foreign Tourists with Riga as a Travel Destination" conducted for RITA by "Latvijas Fakti". Between 4 July and 8 November 2023, 2307 tourists from Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway, UK, Lithuania, Estonia, Denmark, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, and Poland were interviewed in Riga. The study was carried out in the form of face-to-face interviews.
Further information: Rita Pētersone Riga Investment and Tourism Agency, e-mail: rita.petersone@riga.lv