In July 2024 the number of non-resident and resident visitors comprised 400.7 thousand, which is 7.2 % more than in July 2023. As compared to July last year, the number of nights spent by visitors comprised 719.1 thousand, which is 2.2 % more.
July is the first month when the total number of visitors has reached the level of 2019 when 400.2 thousand visitors stayed in accommodation establishments, however, compared to July 2019, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodations in July this year was 8.3 % fewer, suggesting that while tourists are returning, they aren't staying quite as long.
In the first seven months of this year, the number of non-resident and resident visitors comprised 1.53 million, which is 9.7 % more than in the seven months of 2023, but still 6.8 % fewer than in the same seven months of 2019, during the time immediately before the pandemic struck.
In July 2024 non-resident arrivals at the tourist accommodation establishments accounted for 59.2 % or 237.2 thousand people, which is 10.4 % more than in July last year, but 12 % fewer than before the pandemic in July 2019 and Russia's war in Ukraine, which has an impact on the arrival of non-residents to Latvia. The number of nights spent by non-residents, compared to July 2022, has grown by 6 % and comprised 429.8 thousand. Non-residents on average spent 1.8 nights at tourist accommodation establishments (1.9 nights in July last year).
The majority of non-resident visitors came from Lithuania (45.2 thousand), Estonia (28.7 thousand), Germany (27.8 thousand), Finland (26.5 thousand), Poland (9.9 thousand), USA (9 thousand), Sweden (8.8 thousand), United Kingdom (8.5 thousand), Spain (7.1 thousand) and Norway (7 thousand).
Most non-resident visitors were hosted in Riga – 57.7 %, Jūrmala – 13 %, Liepāja – 3.4 %, Ventspils – 2.9 %, Mārupe and Limbaži municipality – 2.7 %.
In July 2024 tourist accommodation establishments also hosted 163.5 thousand Latvian visitors, which is 2.8 % more than in July 2023 and 25.2 % more than in July 2019 before the pandemic. The number of nights spent by them comprised 289.3 thousand, which is a drop of 3.1 %, compared to July last year. Residents on average spent 1.8 nights at the tourist accommodation establishments (1.9 nights in July last year).
Latvian visitors stayed mostly in Riga (16 %), Talsi municipality (7.1 %), Cēsis municipality (6.4 %), Jūrmala (6.3 %), Limbaži municipality (5.4 %), Liepāja (5.3 %), Kuldīga municipality (4.7 %) and Tukums municipality (4.6 %).
Average room occupancy rate of hotels and similar accommodation in Latvia was 61.1 % in July (a rise of 1.3 percentage points, compared to July last year), Riga – 70.3 % (an increase of 3.9 percentage points, compared to July last year).
