Financial results of 2024
Join UP! Baltic: Latvian travelers spent 12% more per trip in 2024
Aurimas Janušauskas
CEO of Join UP! Baltic
“The traditionally conservative Baltic market is becoming more adventurous. It is shown by the high growth of Sri Lanka, and travellers are also using the opportunity to travel to such Join UP! Destinations as Zanzibar, Maldives and Dominican from Warsaw,”
- One of the largest tour operators, Join UP! Baltic, achieved a turnover of 80 million euros across the Baltics in 2024, reaching profitability by the end of the year.
- On average, Latvian travelers spent approximately 12% more on their trips compared to the previous year, reflecting a shift toward higher-level or more exotic tourism experiences.
- The most popular destinations remained Egypt and Turkey, and significant growth was seen in Sri Lanka and Greece.
- In total, Join UP! Baltic has served more than 100 000 clients in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in 2024.
For Latvian clients, Egypt continued to be the most popular destination, showing 5% growth compared to 2023. Sri Lanka faced a sharp rise in popularity and has become the fourth most popular destination with a several-fold increase in travellers volume compared to the last year. This growth reflects the popularity of Sri Lanka as an affordable exotic destination with a direct flight from Riga and demonstrates that clients are keen to explore new countries, to experience and get to know different cultures. Tour operator observes that in general Baltic travelers are increasingly taking multiple trips per year, and interest in exotic destinations continues to rise.
Overall, easy-reachable sunny destinations, Egypt and Turkey, continue to lead because of the diverse range of hotels, family-friendly options and quality service. At the same time, the growing popularity of premium 5-star hotels, such as Rixos, indicates that our clients prioritize top-tier accommodations.
"The 2024 results show strength of our strategic approach and ability to match market trends and the needs of travelers. Our main success is profitability, which we achieved by flexibly adapting to the needs and demand of the market — for example, adding new destinations and extra flights to Egypt and Turkey during peak holiday seasons, opening the travel shops in Riga and Vilnius," says Aurimas Janušauskas, CEO of Join UP! Baltic.
The company is also actively broadening its offerings to support growth.
While awareness of sustainability is growing, many travelers remain hesitant to pay a premium for eco-friendly options. However, Join UP! Baltic is well-positioned to meet this trend with a portfolio that includes numerous sustainable hotels focusing on energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, local sourcing, and community support.
“We’re expanding travel options for travellers by introducing new destinations and routes. Last year, we began tours to Greece, UAE from Riga and Vilnius, and Cyprus, Tunisia from Vilnius. We announced the launch of the first-ever flights from Palanga Airport to Turkey and Egypt, which will begin in 2025, and we already see a high demand there also among the Western part of Latvian travellers. In 2025, we’re offering our largest product portfolio ever, including new destinations like Bulgaria, Albania, Tunisia,”
