Good for Business, Latvia, LIVE RIGA, Tourism, Transport

While the total number of tourists who visited Riga has not yet been determined, the number of cruise liners visiting Riga increased almost 59% in May, Riga hotels' occupancy increased by about two percentage points, and applications for Latvian visas grew 13%, Riga Tourism Development Bureau representative Guna Caune told LETA.

Tourists' increasing interest in Riga is attributable to the fact that Riga is being actively advertised as a tourist destination by travel agencies abroad, said Caune.

In May, 6856 cruise liners visited Riga, and 65,316 passengers traveled by Tallink ferries on the Riga-Stockholm route, which is 10.5% more than in May 2011.

The average hotel occupancy rate in Riga increased from 65.67% in May 2011 to 67.4% this past may.

The number of visa applications increased 13% to a total of 18,218 applications. Pertcentage-wise, visa applications increased the most at the Latvian Embassy in Turkey, by 77%, while the largest quantitative increase was registered at the Latvian Embassy in Moscow where 8,839 visas were issued in May.

The Riga Tourism Development Bureau's data are based on reports from the Riga Passenger Terminal, Association of Latvian Hotels and Restaurants, Foreign Ministry, tax-free stores "Global Blue Latvija", and other cooperation partners.