Latvian Tourism Development Agency

What Latvian Tourism Development Agency does

The Latvian Tourism Development Agency is a government function operating as the Tourism Department (Tūrisma departaments) within the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA), a direct administration institution subordinated to the Minister of Economics of the Republic of Latvia. It promotes Latvia as an international tourism destination through participation in major trade fairs (ITB Berlin, FiTur, Matka Nordic Travel Fair), the operation of the latvia.travel portal, distribution of free marketing materials, tourism research and statistics, and the implementation of EU-funded tourism development programs. Its primary customers are domestic tourism operators and service providers seeking international market access, alongside inbound segments such as international medical tourists and wellness tourists pursuing health, rehabilitation, dental, and spa services.

The agency's operational reach is unusually broad for a department of its size: it draws on LIAA's network of 17 regional offices across Latvia and 23 foreign representative offices in more than 20 countries (including the USA, UAE, Austria, Australia, Belgium, South Korea, France, Italy, Israel, Japan, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Ukraine, Germany, Sweden, Spain, and Uzbekistan). Its technology stack centers on the 'Maija' hybrid virtual assistant, originally developed in 2021 on the state language platform hugo.lv and upgraded in 2025 with generative AI capabilities to deliver 24/7 conversational support on LIAA services and support programs.

The agency does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is funded through Latvian state budget allocations under the Ministry of Economics and EU structural funds earmarked for tourism development. Marketing materials are provided free of charge to tourism operators, and pricing details are not publicly disclosed. Its strategic partnerships include the Enterprise Europe Network Latvia (hosted by LIAA as part of a European Commission project covering over 60 countries) and ongoing EU co-financing programs targeting SME international competitiveness.

Name

Latvian Tourism Development Agency

Legal name

Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra

Website

https://tava.gov.lv

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Latvian Tourism Development Agency, operating as the Tourism Department within LIAA, is a government institution that promotes Latvia internationally as a tourism destination by supporting domestic tourism operators, running the latvia.travel portal, and participating in major tourism fairs across 23 foreign representative offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Tourism Promotion Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

akta.pro primary industry

Tourism Trade & Services Exports Development (BPADAMAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Tourism development services
• Destination marketing
• Tourism promotion programs
• Government tourism services
• Tourism trade fair representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: The agency operates as a government institution under the Ministry of Economics, funded by state budget allocations and EU structural funds for tourism development programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Latvian Tourism Development Agency (the Tourism Department of LIAA) is a government institution that promotes Latvia as an international tourism destination. It provides free marketing materials to Latvian tourism operators, organizes Latvia's participation in major international tourism fairs (such as ITB Berlin, FiTur, and Matka Nordic Travel Fair), produces sector research and statistics, manages the latvia.travel consumer portal, and implements EU-funded tourism development projects in cooperation with tourism service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Latvia.travel Official Tourism Portal
• Free Marketing Materials Distribution
• International Tourism Fair Representation
• Tourism Sector Research and Statistics
• EU-Funded Tourism Development Programs
• Tourism Industry Newsletter Subscription

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) LatviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIAA serves as the host institution for Enterprise Europe Network Latvia, part of a European Commission project operating in over 60 countries with more than 3000 experts. The network helps companies develop internationally.
• European Union (EU) Structural FundscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU co-financing for tourism development programs under various operational programs supporting small and medium enterprises' international competitiveness.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Switzerland Tourism: Switzerland's national tourism board, a well-resourced European DMO promoting a niche premium destination. Highly comparable business model though at significantly larger scale and budget.
• Visit Norway: Norway's national tourism organization promoting a Nordic destination with similar international trade fair presence, foreign representative network, and marketing mandate. Operates at a significantly larger budget scale.
• Visit Sweden: Sweden's national tourism promotion body, directly comparable in promoting a Nordic destination with EU-aligned operations, foreign trade representation, and convention/visitors bureau functions.
• Visit Finland: Finland's national tourism promotion agency, comparable in mandate to promote a Northern European destination, EU structural funding reliance, and trade fair participation model. Slightly larger scale and more established brand.
• Visit Estonia (Estonian Tourist Board): National tourism organization of neighboring Estonia, directly comparable in mandate, geographic market, and EU-funding model. Competes with Latvia for the same Baltic/Nordic tourist segments and operates similar foreign representative office functions.
• VisitDenmark: Denmark's national tourism organization operating under a comparable European DMO mandate with international trade fair presence, foreign representation, and destination marketing focus.
• Lithuania Travel (Lithuanian Tourism Board): National tourism organization of neighboring Lithuania with the same mandate to promote a Baltic destination internationally. Directly comparable in scale, funding structure (EU + state budget), and target feeder markets.
• Austrian National Tourist Office: Austria's national tourism organization with similar mandate, EU membership context, international trade fair participation, and global representative office network spanning dozens of markets.

Broad incumbents

• VisitBritain: UK's national tourism agency operating a comparable destination promotion mandate with global representation. A larger, more established incumbent with broader resources and broader portfolio scope.
• Tourism Australia: Australia's national tourism organization with a comparable destination-marketing mandate and global representative office network, though operating at substantially larger scale and budget than small European DMOs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LIAALatvija
• YouTubeyoutube.com/LIAALatvia
• Facebookfacebook.com/LIAAnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/latvian-tourism-development-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Latvian Tourism Development Agency