On November 28, the annual Vidzeme Tourism Conference took place at the National Botanic Garden in Salaspils, bringing together tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts from all over Latvia.
The first part of the conference was opened by Jānis Turlajs, Vice-Chairman of the Salaspils Regional Council for Economic and Infrastructure Development, who shared insights into Salaspils’ significance on the tourism map and the local landmarks that residents take the most pride in.
Following the opening, Andrejs Svilāns, Director of the National Botanic Garden, discussed visitor trends and development plans, while Iveta Kravale, representing the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), presented the 2024 tourism marketing achievements and revealed plans for 2025.
Current projects in the tourism industry were presented by representatives of the Vidzeme Tourism Association:
- Eva Koljera shared activities from the Erasmus+ project HIGHRES;
- Signe Lorence presented the latest updates from the Interreg Estonia-Latvia program project “Garden Pearls II”;
- Raitis Sijāts introduced initiatives of the Vidzeme Tourism Cooperation Network and the association’s plans for the coming years.
In the second part of the conference, attendees had the opportunity to hear several inspirational presentations:
- Agnese Balandiņa, Head of Ķemeri National Park, emphasized the importance of sustainable tourism and the necessity of cooperation in preserving natural values. She particularly highlighted the need for thoughtful planning of spring tourism activities, taking natural processes into account.
- Dr. habil. philol. Janīna Kursīte demonstrated with vivid examples how intangible cultural heritage can become a valuable tourism resource.
- Sniedzīte Vilmane, digital marketing expert from “Agency CUBE” Ltd., shared insights on the vital role of digitalization in the development of tourism products and enterprises.
- The Grandāni family, with their story “Četri ceļo gardi” (Four Travel Deliciously), demonstrated how to turn an idea for a walking trail into a successful media project that reaches thousands of people.
At the conclusion of the conference, participants visited the Environmental Education and Information Center “Botania”, which impressed guests with its offerings and encouraged networking in an informal atmosphere.
The event proved to be an inspiring and valuable platform for establishing new contacts and exchanging ideas, serving as a foundation for the overall development of tourism in the region.
We extend our gratitude to the National Botanic Garden and the Salaspils Regional Tourism Information Center for their hospitality, as well as to all speakers and participants for their contribution to the conference’s success! Special thanks to the LIAA Tourism Department for their support in organizing the event.
Photo: Gita Memmēna
