Asnāte Ziemele Latvian Country Tourism Association Lauku ceļotājs Baltic Country Holidays – Success Factors from Latvia

Latvian Country Tourism Association Legal form: NGO (owns a Ltd. company for commercial activities) Founded: 1993 Members: ~300 (rural tourism entrepreneurs) Staff: ~10 Tasks: RT product development Quality control and labelling Povider training and consultations Promotion and marketing (brochures, maps, Internet) Lobbying for interests of members

RT product development 1990 Collective farms fall apart, private farms develop Farmers seek for extra income – offer free rooms to tourists Foundation of the Association - organized development of RT starts: Database Quality system and inspection Promotion Reservation office

B&B (serviced accommodation) Accommodation in providers house, sharing WC and shower No big investments in furniture and equipment Provider family “resources” used for tourists Cottages (self-catering) Operating mostly in summer season (no heating) Modest furnishing accommodation types establish

1997 → EU and National subsidies available B&B Repairs and renovations, new constructions Separate WC and entrance for guests Attention to furniture and equipment Cottages New constructions – answering the customer demand of privacy Heating, well equipped kitchen Party facilities For private parties, weddings, company outings 1-2 rooms for partying, few bedrooms with many beds, sauna

Number of accommodations and beds ( ) Source: LC database

Rural tourism in 2005 Source: provider review and LC database  Tourists spent ~ bednights  Average occupation rate 17% (-2%)  ~70% of the number of tourists stayed in the country in summer months  Average length of stay: domestic tourists – 1,4 d/n ( ,28 d/n) foreign tourists – 3,25 d/n ( ,73 d/n)  Tourist spendings in RT accommodations (LC database) ~ 7 milj. Ls. (+26%).

2000 → RT is not just a bed

RT is not just a bed: customer review results

Green Certificate Environment – is the main selling point of Rural Tourism “Green Certificate” eco-label “Green Holidays” brand Changing the way of thinking of providers and customers towards environmental sustainability

Green Holidays Brand Clean rural environment Traditional farms, natural materials Activities in nature Ecologically clean, local food Information about things to see Celebration of traditional holidays Play areas and pets for the children High-quality tourism services Tourists

Local community benefits supplying customer demand Info services Restaurants Stocked ponds,etc. Local industry Activity facilities Craft shops

Countryside Bounty – opening the countryside to visitors Agricultural farms – small scale farms growing crops, vegetables, fruit, animal breeding, poultry Fishing - stocked ponds for commercial finishing, crayfish, sea fishing, fish farming Crafts – traditional and modern hand made products: pottery, weaving, furniture Catering – small restaurants, shops, country pubs offering local, traditional food Self-sustained and health farms – showing traditional rural lifestyle, promoting ancient health tradition – sauna, herbs, believes, bio farms Food production – small-scale food production, using locally grown or made ingredients, local recipes

Countryside Bounty: A beekeeper tour of the apiary observe bees in a hive with a glass wall a beekeeping history room purchase honey purchase bees

Countryside Bounty: Cheese maker at Eleja village former bakery a French, making soft cheese from local products one of the new varieties called “Eleja”s cheese” a tour of the facility cheese tasting, sales outlet

Countryside Bounty: rabbit and fowl breeder 300 rabbits for breeding and food guinea fowls, peacocks, ducks, geese, quail eggs available for sail

Review on sustainable rural tourism development in Latvia inventory of the current situation and negative impacts recommendations for actions to prevent / reduce the negative environmental, economic and social aspects at all stakeholder levels presented at the national RT conference on February 3, 2006 (400 participants) konferences

Incoming tourists in Is it enough to celebrate the growing numbers of tourists? Consider the “quality” – behavior, attitudes of tourists and their purpose of travelling

Spendings of incoming tourists Total spendings in mil. LVL (source: Central Board of Statistics) Spendings per person – lower that in the beginning of the decade

Explanation? Growing numbers of tourists in transit – no overnight stays in Latvia High and still increasing price levels in the Baltic countries Drawbacks of infrastructure (roads, signposting,, services) Tourists using local natural resources and infrastructure without buying products/services (arriving with own food, equipment) Is it sustainable?

Benefits from rapid tourism development in rural areas

Problems from rapid tourism development in rural areas

How to achieve balance between economic development and environment protection? or…

What’s in the hands of stakeholders in rural areas ? To protect nature and biological diversity is sometimes enough to use simple, inexpensive and generally accessible means and tools

Environment protection Maintenance or even increase of biological diversity (species) in the given territory Infrastructure in sensitive and highly touristic sites

Environment protection Rest stops for tourists with bonfire places, benches, waste bins, etc. Directing tourist flow (also tourists “protected” from being a crowd)

Protection of biological diversity Do not advertise sensitive and easily destroyable natural values (biotopes) Do not advertise / do not incorporate in tourism product protected and rare species

Environment friendly information Environment friendly behaviour codes on signposts Develop routes and nature trails, keeping in mind nature protection

Environment friendly and well considered tourist activities Bird watchingNature guides

think outside the limits of project deadlines!

What is behind of rural tourism success in Latvia or rural tourism golden resources

1. Nature, biological diversity

2. Rural landscape, environment

3. Rural people, their occupations

4. Country food

5. Traditions

6. Diverse cultural heritage

RT products based on “golden resources”

Thank you for attention! Latvian Country Tourism Association “Lauku ceļotājs” Kugu str. 11, Riga, Latvia Tel.: , Fax: ,