Latvia is experiencing a tourism crisis due to drone incidents – LSM
Latvia’s tourism industry is reporting a decline in visitor numbers. The industry cites repeated incidents involving “stray” drones and air raid alerts as the cause, noting that these incidents are affecting perceptions of the country’s safety and tourist flows.
This is reported by LSM.
The Latgale Region Tourism Business Association states that the number of canceled reservations by foreign tourists and travel agencies due to drone incidents has already reached 60%, while reservations by Latvians are down 40% compared to the same period last year.
A representative of Million Star Hotel, which operates two properties in the Balvi region near the Russian border, says that while as of last May they had bookings for roughly two-thirds of the summer, the earliest reservations now are made just three weeks in advance.
“And when some incident happens—cancellations start coming in. They tell us straight out that it’s because of the drones,” she notes.
Jelena Kijashko, head of the Latgale Tourism Business Association, says the problems won’t be limited to hotels and guesthouses, as the drop in visitors will affect the profits of all other businesses—farms, transportation companies, restaurants, and so on.
“Over the past two weeks, not a day has gone by without business representatives calling and asking what we’re going to do—because bookings are being canceled, and groups are refusing to travel. Tourists say they’re afraid,” she says.
This week, the association has already sent a letter to the government requesting support measures to prevent businesses from going bankrupt due to the exodus of tourists from border regions.
As is known, in recent weeks, air raid alerts have been repeatedly issued in the Baltic states due to the threat of “stray” drones—most likely Ukrainian aircraft that veered off course on their way to targets in Russia under the influence of electronic warfare.
On the morning of May 23, another drone incursion was recorded in Latvia. Prior to this, air raid alerts due to UAVs had been declared in the country almost every day that week.
According to The Telegraph, Russia has allegedly learned to intercept and “redirect” Ukrainian drones, forcing them to fly toward NATO countries. Due to massive electronic warfare attacks, the drones lose their bearings and begin to veer off course.
