Latvian Parliament Moves to Ban Tourism Services to Russia and Belarus
Latvia’s parliament took a significant step on Thursday toward prohibiting travel agencies from offering tourism services in Russia and Belarus. The move aims to protect Latvian citizens from potential human rights violations in those countries and prevent their possible recruitment as spies.
Lawmakers forwarded proposed amendments to the tourism law to the appropriate parliamentary committee for further consideration.
“Travel to Russia and Belarus is currently a security concern,” said Gatis Liepiņš, a member of the New Unity party, which introduced the proposal. “We cannot allow holiday trips to continue, with buses full of our citizens traveling to countries that openly express a desire to occupy Latvia,” he added.
Liepiņš also highlighted that in 2024, Russia detained 30 Latvian nationals, while Latvian authorities had very limited capacity to assist in such situations.
The proposed ban would apply to all tourism service providers registered in Latvia and would be implemented as part of the sanctions package against Russia and Belarus.













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