Over 10,000 tourists carried on the Riga–Liepaja–Klaipeda route

According to the company’s compiled statistics, this summer the bus operator Lux Express Latvia carried more than 10,000 foreign tourists on the Riga–Liepaja and Liepaja–Klaipeda routes.

“We are pleased that we can be a good partner to Latvian cities, including Liepaja, by providing high-quality services not only for local travelers but also by attracting and bringing new foreign tourists to the cities. Our data show that thanks to Lux Express Latvia’s services, the number of tourists carried to and from Liepaja has increased 2.5 times compared to the corresponding period last year,” says Aldis Ķibēns, Member of the Board of Lux Express Latvia.

Daiga Jansone, Manager of Hotel Amrita in Liepaja, notes that the route between Liepaja and Klaipeda, launched by Lux Express Latvia this year, has been a very important and long-awaited addition. It has not only enabled Liepaja residents to conveniently reach Palanga and Klaipeda, but also ensured a steady flow of Lithuanian visitors and opened up opportunities to attract foreign travelers who stay in Klaipeda or Palanga or arrive in the Baltics through Palanga Airport.

“Despite relatively unfavorable weather conditions and fewer large events in Liepaja this summer, the Amrita season was successful – during the summer months occupancy increased by 3%, while the total increase since the beginning of the year already exceeds 5% compared to the previous year,” says D. Jansone.

She adds that there is great potential to further strengthen this positive trend in the future – by purposefully promoting Liepaja’s diverse leisure and entertainment opportunities and especially highlighting the convenient ways to reach our city.

Sintija Pusaudze, Member of the Board of the Liepaja Region Tourism Information Bureau, also notes that there has been an increase in the number of tourists during the summer season. However, as she explains, precise information on guests staying in Liepaja’s accommodation facilities during the summer months will only be available in October, when the data will be compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau.

“The increase might be relatively small, since rainy and cool weather affected the holiday plans of tourists not only from Latvia but also from neighboring countries. At the same time, we firmly believe that cooperation with passenger carriers is very important for the development of tourism destinations, especially those located far from the capital and the busiest airports,” says S. Pusaudze, adding that partners capable of providing high-quality services to increasingly demanding travelers are highly valuable – and Lux Express Latvia is one of them.

“The most important thing is that we have received very positive feedback from guests, especially from cycle tourists, since Lux Express Latvia buses are among the few means of transport where bicycles can be carried without disassembly. Overall, we see that the launch and promotion of the new Riga–Klaipeda route has stimulated a greater inflow of not only Lithuanian but also Estonian visitors to Liepaja. We would very much welcome the continuation of this route throughout the year, as we believe it would also encourage tourist arrivals outside the active summer season,” emphasizes the Board Member of the Liepaja Region Tourism Information Bureau.

In total, Lux Express Latvia carried almost 19,000 foreign tourists on domestic routes in Latvia this summer – more than 1.5 times compared to the corresponding period last year.

Most visitors to Latvia came from Estonia, followed by Germans, Lithuanians, Finns, and Poles. The largest increase compared to last summer was in the number of Lithuanian tourists, which can be explained by the launch of the highly demanded Riga–Klaipeda route.