In the first quarter of 2023, compared to last year, the number of guests served in Liepāja’s accommodation increased by 39%. The figures show that tourism has reached the intensity it had before the pandemic, Latvian Radio reported on May 31.
Quite a few people have opened the beach season in Liepāja, also enjoying the benefits of the organized infrastructure and cafes. The beginning of the year, which is usually a quieter time, has been surprisingly good, said Sintija Pusaudze, head of the Liepāja region’s tourism office.
“In the first quarter of 2023, we outperformed all pre-pandemic data in 2019, which was the most popular tourism year since the Central Statistical Bureau conducted such data analysis. So we are a bit afraid to predict what will happen next because we overcame 2019 figures in four months last year – June, July, August, and October. Then we forecast a little more, but that it would be the first quarter, we hadn’t planned it,” said Pusaudze.
It is clear, however, that the status of Liepāja as the European Capital of Culture in 2027 has already generated increased interest. It is the result of the team’s work involving both tourist entrepreneurs and office staff and local government cultural capital movers, believes Pusaudze.
“The information about Liepāja as a different tourist destination was brought out around the world because everyone was interested in what Liepaja was like, where in 2027 the European Capital of Culture would be. The second is the targeted work in international tourism contact shops and exhibitions because we flew to different destinations nearly every month to tell what Liepāja is, what the coast of Kurzeme is, what the Baltic States and Latvia are,” said Pusaudze.
According to her, many have been surprised by the beautiful coastal beaches, the nature of Latvia, and the various ways to reach Liepāja.
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