From May 23 to 25, 2022, the international “Cultural and Creative Industries and Tourism Conference” took place in Cēsis, gathering participants from Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Ireland, Poland, Hungary, and, of course, Latvia. The formal dinner of the conference was graced by the presence of the Minister of Welfare, Gatis Eglītis; the Chairman of the Cēsis Municipality Council, Jānis Rozenbergs, who also presented Cēsis’ development plans regarding creative industries during the conference on May 24; the Director of the LIAA Tourism Department, Inese Šīrava; and the Head of the Creative Industries Division of the Cultural Policy Department at the Ministry of Culture, Lāsma Krastiņa-Sidorenko.
During the conference, participants were introduced to best practice examples from each country, showcasing how creative industries promote tourism, offer new products, and create interesting, experience-rich destinations. Vidzeme presented “Vidzeme Creative Beehives” (Vidzemes Radošie stropi), established in the summer of 2021 to create a network of creative individuals and businesses working together to develop new offers.
Foreign guests had the opportunity to visit the art space “Mala,” which offers entertainment and various workshops in Cēsis; the Cēsis Castle ruins, where artists have implemented innovative digital solutions in the castle towers; and participated in creative workshops at “Vidzeme Creative Beehives” and the Āraiši Lake Fortress. They also met with the master craftsman of Vienkoči Park and learned about Līgatne’s future plans for creative industry development.
Creative industries are activities based on individual or collective creativity, skill, and talent, which—by creating and utilizing intellectual property—are capable of increasing prosperity and creating jobs. Creative industries create, develop, produce, utilize, showcase, distribute, and preserve products that possess economic, cultural, and entertainment value. Furthermore, creative industries bolster the tourism sector by offering opportunities for visitors to engage and learn new skills alongside master craftsmen.
The conference was organized within the framework of the Interreg Europe project “Cult-CreaTE.” The lead partner of the project is the Vidzeme Tourism Association.
