Feliks Magus, CEO of Estonia's Reval Hotel Group, will resign on April 1. He is leaving the position to become a board member and shareholder of OU Estap, a company that produces pet bedding. "My decision is based on two reasons. First 's the launching of the St. Petersburg hotel project, my main assignment, has now reached the construction phase," Magus said. "Besides, I have acquired one third of shares in OU Estap and want to try my hand as entrepreneur after 16 years as an employee." Magus added that he would continue in the toursim sphere as a supervisory board member of Silja Line Eesti AS. Magus worked for six years as the CEO of Reval Hotels, a chain that comprises four hotels in Tallinn, two in Riga and one in Vilnius.
Next year an extension of Reval Hotel Latvija will be completed, and it will then become the biggest hotel in the Baltic countries with 600 bedrooms.
Topturas, a new tour operator, is coming to the Lithuanian market with plans to offer 46 different travel packages starting this April. The company has set aggressive growth targets, with revenue expected to reach 4.5 million litas (1.3 million euros) this year and 12 million litas next year.
"We will arrange trips by bus and by air to European destinations. We will also offer special travel packages for the disabled," Topturas CEO Aurelijus Kinas said. The company aims to gain up to 18 percent of the bus travel market this year and up to 30 percent next year. Almost all national travel agencies will distribute its products. The Vilnius-based company will employ a staff of 25. Its shareholders are private individuals, owners and managers of well-known travel agencies. There are currently around 200 tour operators offering inbound, outbound and local tourism services in the country.
The number of tourists visiting Jurmala sea resort increased by 50 percent in 2004, totalling 88,312 tourists. "On average, tourists are staying in Jurmala for 5 days, which is a good indicator," Jurmala Mayor Juris Hlevickis said. "However the average time spent by tourists in Jurmala has decreased. But this is not a reason to worry, as the number of guests from Lithuania and Estonia has significantly increased." Tourists from Israel and Belorussia, who traditionally visit resort-hotels and spa centers, spend the longest time in Jurmala. Guests from Riga and other Latvian cities stay in Jurmala for an average of 6 days, while tourists from Russia and Germany enjoy Jurmala for an average of 3.3 days. The mayor added that the increase could be explained by active marketing strategies and toursim development. In 2004, three new hotels, one resort and two spa centers opened in Jurmala.
Legend Management, an Estonian hotel and spa operator, will enter the Riga market this summer with a new moderately priced hotel. The 11-story building, named Albert Hotel, will be located downtown near Albert Street, which is historic for its Art Nouveau architecture. Larix Property owns the hotel and its operater is Legendhotels Latvia. The hotel will include 246 rooms, an international cuisine restaurant, two conference rooms accommodating 150 people, as well as a lounge bar and terrace.
