Riga plans to host more than 80 cruise ships in 2006, of which around 70 should be served by Riga Passenger Terminal.
Specialists believe that Riga’s potential is much greater in comparison with
Klaipeda, for example, where although the number of inhabitants and tourism
opportunities are considerably smaller, the number of cruise ships attracted is
only a little smaller than in Riga.
The main reason for such a situation is the high prices charged by Riga port
and the weak infrastructure at Riga Passenger Terminal. Raimonds Toms, executive
director of the National Association of Latvian Shipbrokers and Shipping Agents,
emphasizes that Riga is far away from reaching its potential to attract cruise
ships.
According to this article, Riga port has made no progress pushing up the
number of cruise ships being attracted for several years now. Although a large
number of cruise ships were expected during the World Hockey Championship 2006
in Riga, several Swedish and Finnish cruise ships cancelled because of the
excessively high championship ticket prices.
