Financial data on the contribution of the recently held European Basketball Championship in Rīga to the capital and Latvia as a whole will be available in a few months, said Fredis Bikovs, Director of the Rīga Investment and Tourism Agency, in an interview with TV3 on Monday.
According to Bikovs, it will take a few months for hotels to fully compile their data, which will then show whether the pre-tournament estimate of around 60 million euros in economic impact has been reached.
Preliminary information from tourism accommodations is described as very positive — some hotels reported occupancy levels of up to 90%. The number of Estonian basketball fans was estimated at 8,000–9,000, though many will not appear in official statistics because they stayed in short-term rental apartments offered by private hosts.
Overall, Bikovs noted that Rīga is good at attracting tourists, and the number of visitors is growing — however, the challenge remains to extend the average length of their stay.
Kaspars Cipruss, Secretary General of the Latvian Basketball Association (LBS), told Latvian Television (LTV) this morning that
the tournament had been very successful and brought a significant economic benefit.
In total, 170,000–180,000 spectators attended the games in Rīga, and the arena was filled not only by fans from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland, but also by many Slovenian, Greek, Turkish, and other international fans during the knockout stage, Cipruss added.
In his view, there is no longer any question that Latvia should continue hosting major basketball, hockey, or rally events.
As reported, the European Basketball Championship took place in Rīga from late August to mid-September. Germany won the tournament, while Latvia was eliminated in the round of 16.
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