The three Baltic States have joined eight other European countries in calling on the EU to impose tighter restrictions on visas for Russian citizens, ERR reports. The joint letter from the foreign and interior ministers of nine EU member states, Norway, and Iceland stated that “Russians should not be sunning themselves on European beaches while…
The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation increased in Estonia but decreased in Latvia and Lithuania in the first quarter of 2026, according to Eurostat data, LSM reports. The number of overnight stays in Lithuania totalled 2.05 million, which was down 12.9% from 1.78 million nights a year earlier. The decline was the biggest…
The Latvian government needs to make a decision on the future of the country’s national airline, airBaltic, in summer 2026, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs stated, LETA reports. Speaking in an interview with TV3, Kulbergs said that airBaltic remained a strategic state asset, but stressed that taxpayer money could no longer be the sole support for…
Latvia’s Riga International Airport (RIX) posted an audited profit of EUR 4.2mn in 2025, which was up EUR 0.8mn from 2024, The Baltic Times reported. The airport’s annual net turnover totalled EUR 80.7mn, which was up 3.9% over a year. Revenue from aviation services amounted to EUR 47.3mn (up 5.4%) and from non-aviation services to…
Passenger traffic by land and sea transport increased in Latvia in 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reported. The number of passengers on land transport totalled 192.4 million in 2025, which was up 0.6% from 191.2 million in 2024. The number of passengers on regular bus lines amounted to 97.6 million (down…
Tourist accommodation establishments in Latvia had a total of 447,100 guests in the first quarter of 2026, which was down 3.0% from 460,800 in the same period of 2025, according to the Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), LSM reports. The number of foreign guests amounted to 246,600, which was 7.2% fewer than a year earlier. The…
Latvia’s national air carrier, airBaltic, suffered a loss of EUR 70.1mn in the first quarter of 2026, which was 2.4 times more than in the first quarter of 2025, when the company’s loss stood at EUR 29.348mn, LETA reported. The airline’s quarterly EBITDAR amounted to EUR 7mn, which was up from a loss of EUR…
Lithuania’s Klaipeda State Seaport opened the new cruise season on 2 May 2026, The Baltic Times reported. CEO Algis Latakas said that the port expected altogether 64 cruise ships with around 90,000 tourists to visit Klaipeda in 2026, which would be an all-time record in the port’s history. In 2027, the port may receive more…
Latvia’s Freeport of Riga opened the new cruise season on 3 May 2026, Latvijas Avize reports. The port expects to receive altogether 103 cruise liners in 2026, which would be the highest number in the port’s history. The ships would bring no less than 135,000 tourists to Riga, which also would be an all-time record…