“Seven frontline EU countries want the next long-term budget of the union to help their hotels, companies, and operators survive the consequences of the security crisis in Europe,” reports the largest European television channel Euronews. To make the EU leadership understand their situation, the tourism and finance ministers of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia wrote a collective letter to the European Commissioners for Tourism and Cohesion Policy — Apostolos Tzitzikostas and Raffaele Fitto. The authors of the letter stated that their tourism sectors have been severely affected by “geopolitical events and security threats,” including the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine. “Tourist flows in most of these regions have significantly decreased,” the letter states. “Moreover, small and medium-sized enterprises are facing a decline in investor confidence, increased uncertainty in their operations, and limited access to financing at a time when seasonal revenue is critical for their sustainability throughout the year.” The seven aforementioned countries urged Brussels to allocate funds from the proposed €2 trillion multiannual financial framework of the European Union to support their tourism sectors. As a striking example, Euronews cites Latvia. The channel interviewed the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Economy of Latvia, Jurgis Miezainis, who stated that every time an unidentified flying object invades Latvian airspace, it instills fear — both in locals and foreigners. “These drone incursions significantly impact the tourism sector because tourism is largely based on emotions,” Miezainis said. According to him, after drone incursions, there are cancellations of hotel bookings and events, leading to a decrease in turnover for small and medium-sized enterprises. Most often, drones violate Latvian airspace over Latgale — an eastern region, home to more than two thousand blue lakes. The parliamentary secretary provided data from the Latgale Tourism Association, which surveyed 94 tourism and hospitality companies in the region and found that 72% of respondents reported a decrease in turnover and visitor numbers in June 2026 compared to June 2025. The loss of income is at least half over the year. Miezainis acknowledged that previously a significant portion of these tourists came from Russia and Belarus. “Before the full-scale invasion, quite a few people from Russia and Belarus visited here due to the proximity of the border, and of course, this benefited the tourism sector. But now we must understand the existing risks,” he said, adding that the borders are now effectively closed. To compensate for the loss of this group of tourists, Latvia is now targeting new markets — such as Japan, Canada, and the United States, and is also inviting cruise ships. It’s just unfortunate that the landings of cruise travelers are very short-term. Miezainis also acknowledged that other factors, such as soaring airfare prices due to the war in Iran, might deter tourists from traveling to Latvia. Commenting on the letter Latvia sent to Brussels, he noted that the European Commission should clarify how countries close to Russia should respond to this situation. Especially since the latest report from the European Commission on cohesion policy also acknowledges the existence of a problem. It states: “Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine has led to a sharp decline in investments, trade flows, and economic activity (including tourism) in some regions, as well as the emergence of new economic barriers and job losses.” How will Brussels respond to this appeal? This is an interesting question, considering the composition of the countries that signed the letter. Of the seven signatory states, only four (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland) share a border with Russia. Meanwhile, the EU member state with the longest land border with Russia — Finland — did not sign this letter and is not asking for compensation from Brussels, even though its tourism has been more severely affected by the closure of the Finnish-Russian border. So far, Brussels has responded routinely, stating that it is aware of the problems faced by the tourism sector across Europe and that issues affecting frontline regions will be considered as part of the “preparatory work” on the upcoming tourism strategy.
