Covid-19, Employment, Financial Services, Latvia, Legislation, Tourism

Discussing support measures for overcoming consequences from the Covid-19 crisis and future perspectives, Lingeberzins said that the tourism sector drop could be estimated at 60 percent this year, and about 5,000-8,000 people working in the sector could lose their jobs by the end of the year.

Lingeberzins said that as the Covid-19 crisis started in March, several tourism and hospitality associations established a crisis management committee that defined the sector's problems. They were submitted to the Economics Ministry that is in charge of the sector.

"The Economics Ministry is our cooperation partners, but during the crisis we also tried to meet with the Finance Ministry that said that all our proposals should be discussed with the Economics Ministry. The crisis task force established by Finance Minister Janis Reirs (New Unity) decided which is the Economics Ministry's decision are put forward to the government and which are not," said Lingeberzins.

The tourism sector still wants a support mechanism for all sector's companies so that they can survive until spring and the regional travel "bubble" is renewed.