Liepāja marks record cruise season with seven ship visits

Liepāja’s cruise season ended with a record seven ship visits, bringing more than 4,000 cruise passengers to the Latvian city, LSM reported.

The final ship of the season, the 180-metre luxury cruise vessel Insignia operated by Oceania Cruises, docked in Liepāja in early September with 600 passengers, most of them from the United States.

After leaving the ship, passengers joined organised tours of the city or explored independently. Visitors were offered excursions, tastings and musical performances.

“It is a charming, small town, very European. Compared with Oslo and Copenhagen, where we visited, this city is different,” said Randy, a passenger from the United States.

Another US passenger, Viktoria, said she had enjoyed walking around the city using a map and visiting Rose Square. She added that she would like to return with more time and possibly a guide.

The cruise passengers came from Europe, the United States, Australia and other parts of the world. Liepāja municipal authorities said the visitors had a significant impact on the local economy and that work to develop the sector would continue ahead of next season.

Preliminary estimates indicate that cruise passengers generated about 400,000 euros in economic benefits for the city this season.

A 2024 study by the Cruise Lines International Association found that a seven-day cruise passenger spends an average of 80 euros in each port city.

Agita Vucena of the Liepāja Regional Tourism Information Office said the estimate included income from guides, transport providers and attractions included in organised tours. However, she said it was difficult to calculate the economic activity generated by tourists who explored the city independently.