Latvia’s Foreign Tourism Slips in First Half

Latvia’s tourism market underperformed much of the European Union in the first half of 2026. Overnight stays in the country’s tourist accommodation fell by about 1% from a year earlier, while the EU total increased 1.7%. The weakness was concentrated among international visitors: calculations based on Latvia’s quarterly statistics indicate that foreign guest arrivals declined by roughly 3% and their overnight stays by more than 4%. Domestic tourism continued to expand and helped offset part of the weakness by the start of the summer season.

Latvia moved against the broader EU tourism trend

Tourist accommodation establishments across the EU recorded 1.321 billion overnight stays from January through June, up 1.7% from 1.299 billion a year earlier. Nights spent by foreign visitors increased 2.5%, while domestic nights rose 0.9%.

Ireland posted the strongest country-level increase at 14.6%, followed by Malta at 9.9% and Slovakia at 5.9%. Nine EU countries recorded declines, led by Cyprus at 7.7% and Romania at 6.7%. Latvia was among the declining markets, with overnight stays down by about 1%, Eurostat reported.

The Baltic countries also diverged. Lithuania was broadly unchanged, while Estonia recorded growth of about 5%, meaning Latvia’s result cannot be explained simply by weaker tourism demand across the entire Baltic region.

A weak first quarter shaped the six-month result

Latvia’s accommodation establishments hosted 447,100 guests during the first three months of 2026, 3% fewer than a year earlier. They recorded 779,100 overnight stays.

Foreign arrivals fell 7.2% to 246,600, while their overnight stays dropped 7.5% to 447,400. Domestic tourism moved in the opposite direction: Latvian resident arrivals increased 2.8% to 200,500 and their overnight stays rose 4% to 331,700.

Conditions improved in the second quarter. Accommodation establishments hosted 750,000 guests, 1.2% more than a year earlier, while overnight stays edged up 0.1% to 1.29 million. Foreign arrivals remained 0.4% lower and foreign nights fell 2.3%, but resident arrivals increased 3.5% and domestic nights rose 4%, according to Latvia’s Central Statistical Bureau.

Combining the two quarters gives about 1.197 million registered arrivals in the first half, roughly 0.4% fewer than a year earlier. Overnight stays totaled about 2.072 million, a decline of approximately 1.1%.

Foreign guests accounted for about 687,200 arrivals, down roughly 3%, and 1.235 million nights, down about 4.3%. Domestic arrivals reached almost 510,000, up approximately 3.2%, while domestic overnight stays increased 4% to about 836,600.

International demand began recovering in June

The monthly sequence suggests that the weakness was concentrated earlier in the year. Total arrivals declined 2.7% in January, 2.8% in February and 3.3% in March.

In April, domestic arrivals rose 4.7%, while international arrivals remained 2.1% lower. May brought another decline, with domestic visitors down 1% and foreign visitors down 4.2%.

June produced a clearer reversal. Resident arrivals increased 6.3% year over year and foreign arrivals rose 4%.

The first-half decline therefore does not necessarily imply that Latvia’s main summer tourism season will contract as well.

Lithuania remains Latvia’s largest foreign market

Latvia hosted 440,600 international guests in the second quarter. Lithuania was the largest source market with 70,100 arrivals, followed by Germany with 48,900, Estonia with 43,700 and Finland with 36,800.

The United Kingdom accounted for 26,800 visitors, Poland 20,400, the United States 19,400, Sweden 16,200 and Spain 14,600.

The first-quarter ranking was similar, led by Lithuania with 42,200 guests and Estonia with 28,700. The UK contributed 19,400 visitors, Germany 16,300 and Finland 14,500.

Across both quarters, Lithuania contributed more than 112,000 registered arrivals, followed by Estonia at roughly 72,000, Germany at 65,000, Finland at more than 51,000 and the UK at about 46,000.

Riga dominates international tourism

Foreign tourism remains highly concentrated in the capital. Riga accounted for 80.4% of non-resident arrivals in the first quarter. Its share fell to 72.1% during the second quarter as seasonal demand spread to other destinations.

Jūrmala received 9% of foreign visitors in the second quarter, Mārupe municipality 3.9% and Liepāja 2.1%.

Domestic tourism is more geographically dispersed. Riga accounted for 31.2% of resident guests in the second quarter, followed by Jūrmala at 8.8%, Liepāja at 6.6% and Cēsis municipality at 5%.

The concentration makes Latvia’s overall inbound numbers particularly sensitive to changes in city breaks, business travel and international connectivity to Riga.

Riga Airport maintained substantial passenger traffic

The tourism decline did not coincide with a sharp contraction in operations at Latvia’s main airport. RIX Riga Airport handled about 3.3 million passengers and 31,000 flights in the first six months of 2026, with flight movements increasing 1%.

First-half revenue reached €38.8 million, up 1.5%, while the airport reported a €2.7 million profit.

During the first four months of the year, direct passenger numbers remained 6% above their pre-pandemic level but were 3% below the same period of 2025. Transfer and transit traffic accounted for about one-fifth of the airport’s passenger volume.

Airport passengers and accommodated tourists are different measures. A traveler can transfer in Riga without entering the tourism market, leave Latvia on an outbound journey or stay outside registered commercial accommodation.

Estonia widened the gap with Latvia

Neighboring Estonia recorded a much stronger first half. Its accommodation establishments hosted 1.66 million tourists, 4% more than a year earlier. Foreign arrivals increased 5%, while domestic tourism grew 3%.

Overnight stays rose 5% to 3.04 million. Foreign visitors accounted for more than 1.72 million nights, up 7%, while Estonian residents spent 1.32 million nights, an increase of 3%.

Finland remained Estonia’s largest international market with 298,400 accommodated visitors, followed by Latvia with 135,200 and Germany with 51,200. Visitors from the United Kingdom increased 19%, according to Statistics Estonia.

The divergence makes it difficult to attribute Latvia’s softer performance to a uniform decline in demand for Baltic travel.

The cause of Latvia’s decline remains uncertain

The initial Latvian Public Media report suggested that regional geopolitical tensions may have influenced visitor decisions. The available tourism statistics, however, record arrivals and overnight stays rather than travelers’ motivations, so they cannot establish that explanation as a causal fact.

Travel costs, air connectivity, weather, major events, business travel and competition from other destinations can all affect the result. Their individual contributions cannot be separated from accommodation data alone.

The statistics also do not represent every person visiting Latvia. Travelers staying with friends or relatives, as well as some other forms of non-commercial accommodation, are outside the core accommodation measure.

Domestic tourism cushioned the decline

Domestic visitors provided an important offset during the first half. Both Latvian resident arrivals and their overnight stays increased, while international demand contracted.

The average trip remained short. Foreign guests stayed about 1.8 nights in both the first and second quarters. Domestic guests averaged around 1.6 nights.

Short stays make accommodation businesses particularly dependent on a steady flow of new arrivals. Even a modest reduction in international visitor numbers can therefore translate relatively quickly into fewer room nights, especially in Riga.

FAQ: Latvia tourism in 2026

How much did Latvia’s tourism market decline?

Overnight stays in tourist accommodation fell by roughly 1% in the first half of 2026. Based on quarterly data, registered guest arrivals were about 0.4% lower.

How many guests stayed in Latvian accommodation?

Accommodation establishments recorded approximately 1.197 million arrivals during the first six months of the year.

How many were international visitors?

About 687,200 foreign guests were registered during the two quarters, roughly 3% fewer than a year earlier.

Is domestic tourism also falling?

No. Domestic arrivals increased by about 3.2% in the first half and resident overnight stays rose 4%.

Which countries send the most visitors to Latvia?

Lithuania is the largest source market, followed by countries including Estonia, Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom and Poland.

Where do most international visitors stay?

Riga dominates international tourism. It accounted for 72.1% of foreign arrivals in the second quarter, followed by Jūrmala, Mārupe municipality and Liepāja.

Did tourism improve at the start of summer?

Yes. Foreign arrivals increased 4% year over year in June, while domestic arrivals rose 6.3%.

Why did tourism decline in Latvia?

Official accommodation statistics do not establish a single cause. Regional security concerns have been discussed as one possible factor, but the available data cannot prove that they caused the decline.

As International Investment experts report, the more significant warning for Latvia is not the headline decline of about 1% itself, but the country’s divergence from a growing European market and from neighboring Estonia. Foreign overnight stays were contracting while EU international tourism expanded. The second-quarter improvement, and particularly June’s return to growth in foreign arrivals, nevertheless argues against treating the first-half result as evidence of a deepening tourism downturn. July through September will be critical: sustained summer growth could leave the first-half weakness largely as a winter and spring problem, while another loss of international demand would expose Latvia’s heavy dependence on Riga and foreign visitors more clearly.