EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Investments, Tourism

The ministry's representatives informed that with the opening of the new Helsinki-Riga ferry line on June 26, the Latvian Investment and Development Agency has launched marketing activities in Finland, promoting Latvia as an attractive and safe summer tourism destination.

The Silja Serenade vessel, which has room for 2,800 passengers, brought 1,500 Finnish tourists to Riga on its first run on the new route on June 27. Estonian ferry operator Tallink Grupp has also informed that ferry tickets are selling well and the operation of the route has been extended until the end of August, although initially the Silja Serenade was supposed to run on the Helsinki-Riga route until August 16.

The Economics Ministry also informed that a number of Norwegian tour operators and journalists are expected to arrive in Latvia this fall and that presentations of Latvian tourism destinations are planned in the Norwegian cities of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Kristiansand to promote Latvia on the Norwegian market. The marketing campaign in Norway is being planned at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021. 

According to the ministry's representatives tourism promotion activities are also being planned in Germany where Latvia will be advertising its offer in the field of nature and ecotourism, culture and cuisine. The marketing campaign intends to reach an audience of 10 million in Germany. 

Latvia is also preparing stands of various levels to take part in 10 international tourism industry fairs in Bremen, Leipzig, Barcelona, Utrecht, Helsinki, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Berlin. 

At the same time, marketing activities are ongoing also in Latvia's neighbor countries Lithuania and Estonia. These campaigns include publicity activities in popular Lithuanian and Estonian printed and electronic media, work with opinion leaders and preparing tourism information in Lithuanian and Estonian.