A total of 2.3 million outbound tourism trips were made by resident travelers in 2024

RIGA - According to the Central Statistical Bureau, residents of Latvia made 2.3 million trips abroad in 2024 - an increase of 8.4 percent compared to the year before.

Moreover, the number of trips with overnight stay keeps growing and exceeds the pre-pandemic levels.

Last year, resident travelers made 1.8 million overnight trips abroad - up by 5.5 percent compared to 2023 and by 21.6 percent compared to 2019.

The total number of nights spent abroad reached 9.9 million, which is 10.7 percent more than in 2019, whereas 5.6 percent fewer than in 2023. The average duration of a trip with an overnight stay was 5.5 nights, which is 0.6 nights fewer than a year ago.

As for expenditures, residents spent EUR 1.03 billion on such trips (down by EUR 42.36 million, or 3.9 percent). The largest share of it went on accommodation (37 percent), followed by transport (30 percent), food and drinks in cafés and restaurants (15.6 percent), recreation, culture and sporting activities (6.5 percent), and other goods or services (10.4 percent). The average expenditure per one trip was EUR 573.5 (EUR 56.6 fewer than in 2023), and the average expenditure per one night was EUR 104.4 (EUR 1.8 more).

When looking at the most popular travel destinations of overnight trips abroad, Latvia’s neighboring countries Estonia and Lithuania took the lead, accounting for 15.3 percent and 10.9 percent respectively. They were followed by Italy (6.9 percent), Turkey (5.9 percent), Germany (5.7 percent), and Spain (5.5 percent).

In terms of accommodation, 16.7 percent of the nights in outbound tourism trips with overnight stay were spent in non-rented accommodation (own holiday homes, accommodation provided without charge by relatives or friends, or other), and 83.3 percent in rented accommodation.

Regarding the modes of transport, air transport was the most popular and was used for 58.4 percent of all overnight trips abroad. It is followed by motor vehicles, which were preferred less - in 31.1 percent of trips. However, bus or coach were the least common and were used for only 8.2 percent of trips.

Lithuania and Estonia were the main destinations, accounting for 73.1 percent and 21.4 percent of all outbound tourism same-day trips made in 2024.