Latvians not quite as keen as Estonians and Lithuanians to travel this year

Take note – story published 3 years ago

Most Latvians already know their travel plans for this year: many will travel around Latvia, one in seven plan on flying, and almost a third won’t go anywhere, according to a March survey by Citadele bank and research agency Norstat.

More than half of Latvians (56%) intend to travel this year, which is the lowest rate in the Baltics; Lithuanians currently have the highest rate, with Estonians in second, according to the survey.  

Almost one in three Latvians, or 28%, do not plan on travelling at all this year, while 37% have already planned their trips within Latvia or abroad: 14% plan on visiting somewhere by plane, 11% plan on travelling around Latvia, 7% plan on visiting neighbouring countries by car, and 5% plan on driving even further.

Furthermore, 20% of people stated that they hope to travel once restrictions have been lifted, while 5% plan on travelling once they have received a vaccine. Interestingly, those living in Riga and Greater Riga are twice as likely to have travel plans conditional on receiving the vaccine. A further 15% found it difficult to answer what this year’s travel plans will be.

Of those who plan on flying, 9% are planning at least one trip, and 5% are planning several trips. Those living in Riga and Greater Riga, and those aged under 30, are most likely to have planned a trip by plane. Meanwhile, those living in the Zemgale region are twice as likely than those living in Riga to state that they do not plan to travel this year at all.

However, Latvians' wanderlust remains less developed than their Baltic neighbours'. In total, 56% of Latvian, 69% of Lithuanian and 61% of Estonian respondents stated that they intend to go on a trip of longer than three days either domestically or abroad. Just 17% of Lithuanians and 25% of Estonians plan on travelling nowhere, while in Latvia this figure was 28%.

This year, 20% of Lithuanians and 17% of Estonians plan on travelling by plane. Lithuanians are most likely to travel around their own country by car: 17% compared with 11% of Latvians and 13% of Estonians. Residents of all three Baltic countries were equally as likely to visit neighbouring countries by car, between 7 and 8%. The figure of those planning on driving further afield is also similar, between 4 and 5%. All three countries also answered similarly on travelling once restrictions have been lifted, around 19 to 20%.

1,000 members of the public aged between 18 and 74 in each country took part in the survey during the week to March 9th.

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