The tourist season went well in Daugavpils in 2018. According to statistics, the total number of visitors to Daugavpils tourist attractions, culture and recreation establishments has increased by 8% compared to the previous year, reaching 550,707. Besides, 291,335 of them visited tourist attractions.
As information about the registered visitors to Daugavpils reveals, the city was visited by domestic visitors (86%) and foreigners (14%). In overall, travellers from 60 countries were registered. Most of the foreign tourists came from Lithuania (33% of the total number of foreign visitors) followed by Russia (11%) and Poland (9%). Visitors from Belarus (8%), Germany (6%), Great Britain (4%), Estonia (4%), USA (2%), Sweden (2%) and more exotic countries like Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Egypt etc. visited Daugavpils in 2018.
14 tourist sites registered the number of visitors in 2018. Both growth and fall in a number of visitors were recorded. The five most popular tourist attractions were Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre (102,839 visitors or 35% of the total flow), Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre and a first coastal lunette with a guardroom (60,699 visitors or 21%), Latgale Zoo (42,025 visitors or 14%), Daugavpils Local Science and History Museum (26,020 visitors or 9%) and “Zinoo” Science and Curiosity Centre (14,773 visitors or 5%). In fact, new tourist sites and products were developed in Daugavpils in 2018. For example, “Baltais Zirgs” Art Gallery, “Vintāža” Salon of Vintage Furniture and Interior, Silk-Screen Printing Studio, Rabbit Town in Latgale Zoo, “City on the bank of the river Daugava” tour with raft and barge across Daugava, Memorial Sign to the King of Poland Stephen Bathory and other.
Latest data compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau shows that significant increase in overnight stays was recorded in Daugavpils in 2018. In fact, 64,565 travellers stayed at Daugavpils tourist accommodations in 2018, which is by 19.8% more than in the previous year. Moreover, the number of nights spent by visitors increased by 19.7%, reaching 99,746. Over 2018, 27,096 foreign visitors were hosted, which is by 21.8% more than in the previous year, whereas the number of nights spent by those people increased by 24,6%, reaching 42,290.
78,656 visitors (+8% compared with the last year) were registered in both Daugavpils Tourist Information Centre and Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre in 2018. Daugavpils Tourist Information Centre was visited by 17 957 visitors in 2018. Residents of Latvia, including local residents (11%), made the majority or 68% of visitors. Overall, 32% of Daugavpils TIC visitors were foreign travellers from Lithuania (11% of the total number of visitors), Russia (3%), Poland (2.5%), Belarus (2.4%) and Germany (2%). The other visitors came from Estonia, Finland, France, Turkey, Sweden, the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom and other countries. At least 100 visitors visited Daugavpils TIC from each of these countries. The summer season was the most visited season in 2018. The busiest months were June, July and August when service was provided to 43% of the total number of year’s customers.
Daugavpils TIC has helped travellers with a wide range of enquiries. Most often travellers were interested in sightseeing places, catering services, events, guided tours and others. Daugavpils was visited by both individual travellers and groups of tourists. In 2018, 132 groups applied for city tours in Daugavpils TIC, as well as sightseeing tours with a tram “Daugavpils through tram windows” and sightseeing tours “City on the bank of the river Daugava” with a raft and boat.
In turn, Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre was visited by 43,962 travellers from Latvia and 16,737 foreign visitors which is by 11% more than in 2017. In 2018, Centre organised various events that were widely attended. Some of the most significant were “Dinaburg-1812” International Festival of the Military Historical Reconstruction, European Heritage Day and Museum Night.
The awareness of finding information about the destination on the Internet is spreading fast. As a result, Daugavpils Tourist information Centre’s official webpage www.visitdaugavpils.lv has become more and more recognisable among travellers and plays an important role in reaching potential traveller. In fact, the number of users of the site increased by 28% compared to 2017.
Information prepared by:
Daugavpils City Municipality Tourism Development and Information Agency
Phone: +371 65422818; +371 26444810
E-mail: turisms@daugavpils.lv
Web: www.visitdaugavpils.lv
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Daugavpils.travel
www.facebook.com/Daugavpils.cietoksnis
www.facebook.com/SmakovkasMuzejs
Photo: Olga Kuzmina
