694,200 visitors stayed at Latvian tourist accommodation establishments in the 2nd quarter of 2017, which is 13.3 % more than during the respective period of 2016, according to the latest data of the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).
Compared to the previous year, the number of nights spent by visitors increased by 14.3 % and reached 1.32 million. The average duration of a visitor's stay at an accommodation establishment was 1.9 nights.
The largest share of foreign visitors came from Germany (66,700), Russia (56,400), Lithuania (42,400), Estonia (39,600), Finland (34,900) and the United Kingdom (25,400).
There has been a significant increase in the number of visitors from Canada (nearly fourfold from around 1,500 last year to 7,000 this year), Israel (double, from just under 3,000 to almost 6,000), China (of 33.2 %), Denmark (of 24.9 %) and Sweden (of 23.8 %). The number of Russian visitors hosted has grown by 19.3 %.
There were fewer foreign visitors from Ukraine (by 7.8 %), Norway (by 6.2 %) and the United States (by 2.7 %).
29.8 % of all foreign visitors came from the neighboring countries of Latvia. Out of all foreign visitors, 79.5 % stayed in Riga, 7.4 % in Jūrmala, and 1.7 % in Sigulda.
In the 2nd quarter of 2017, 198,900 Latvian residents were hosted at tourist accommodation establishments, which is 10.3 % more than during the 2nd quarter of 2016.
