Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Latvia, Korea to run direct flights in May, June
Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars, second from left, speaks, as Hanjin Travel General Manager Park Don-yeong, third from left, and embassy officials listen during a press conference at the embassy in Seoul, April 24. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo
By Yi Whan-woo
By Yi Whan-woo
Latvia and Korea will temporarily open a direct route between the two countries in May and June.
At a joint press conference last week, the Latvian Embassy in Korea and Hanjin Travel said Korean Air would operate charter flights between Incheon and Riga on May 24 and 31 and June 7.
Hanjin Travel, one of the country’s largest tour agencies, is affiliated with the country’s flag carrier Korean Air.
The direct route will save time for Korean tourists to Latvia. They mainly have been flying to Russia and then transferring to Riga, according to Hajin Travel.
General Manager Park Dong-yeong said Hajin chose May and June because this was the “best season of the year” to travel Latvia.
“Our Korean friends will be fascinated by the diverse food, clean air and land as well as our long history and rich culture,” said Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars.
He thanked Hanjin Travel and Korean Air for being “open and adventurous” in operating the first commercial charter flights between the countries.
“These are very first steps, but within in a next few year, we can hopefully see not only charter flights but also regular flights,” he said.
Korean Air will operate a 218-seat Airbus A330-200 on the flights.
The Incheon-Riga flight will take 10 hours and 15 minutes. The return flight will take nine hours and five minutes.
Hanjin Travel has been selling tour programs in four price ranges — 2.89 million won ($2,480), 2.99 million won, 3.69 million won and 4.89 million won.
All four programs last nine days long and will visit all three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The tours vary depending on the routes and tourist attractions to be visited.
The 2.99 million won-package program will additionally include Denmark, Finland and Norway.
As of last week, more than 80 percent of the tours had been sold, Hanjin Travel said.
The embassy said a main purpose of the charter flights was to attract more Koreans to Latvia.
Last year, around 10,000 Koreans visited Latvia while 3,000 Latvians visited Korea.
Ambassador Vaivars said the number of Latvian tourists to Korea proportional to population was notable, pointing out that Latvia has a population of around 2 million and Korea has 51.47 million people.
Meanwhile, the embassy’s Deputy Head of Mission Olegs Ilgis gave a presentation on the Baltic states, including their shared history, people and tourist attractions.
All three capitals of the Baltic states are registered as UNESCO heritage sites.
Among them is Old Town Riga, the city’s historical center that is home to more than 500 buildings of various architectural styles, such as Romanticism, Gothic, Mannerism, Baroque, Eclectic, Modernism.
It is especially known for having the world’s highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture. Notable buildings include the House of the Blackheads, the Three Brothers, Riga Castle, Riga Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Church and St. Jacob’s Church.