The Port of Riga welcomed its ten millionth passenger this past week, when Costa Cruises’ Costa Fascinosa called on the port, according to a press release.

Tanja Cassandra Karina Bittner, of Bavarian descent, was the lucky guest and she entered the port with her husband, Christian, and son as part of a Baltic Sea cruise from the port of Kiel. The mayor of Riga, Mārtiņš Staķis, welcomed the guest and her family while a concert took place at the berth. The Freeport of Riga Authority organized an evening program that Bittner and her family attended later on, according to the port.

“It is always a great pleasure to be in the beautiful Riga and an honor to witness this important milestone for Riga Port. This city is a very well-appreciated destination and part of the reason why our Guests, especially German, choose their Costa cruise in North Europe. We are extremely happy that the 10th million passenger at Riga Port is traveling with us on the Costa Fascinosa. Congratulations to Riga Port for this incredible achievement and we are looking forward to being back again in the Latvian capital,” said Mario Moretta, captain, Costa Fascinosa.

This season, the port of Riga anticipates an additional 80,000 cruise ship passengers visiting the region. 63 cruise ships have already called on the port in the last seven months, carrying over 42,000 passengers to Riga.

More than 100 cruise ship calls are expected in Riga during the 2022 cruise season, exceeding the results of the previous completed 2019 cruise season by a quarter. Thirteen of these ships will visit Riga for the first time this season, and approximately 20 cruise ships have stayed or will stay in Riga for more than one day. The last cruise ship arrivals in the port are scheduled for October of this year.