Asnāte Ziemele

Latvian Country Tourism Association Lauku ceļotājs

Baltic Country Holidays – Success Baltic Country Holidays – Success Factors from LatviaFactors 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

1993 - 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

1993-19962 accommodation types establish

1997 → EU and National subsidies availableB&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

(1994-2005) Source: LC database

332

1880

3154

5243

275 294172 210 24020 38 46 70 98 116

405141373790

732494416

200167

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

accommodations

beds

Rural tourism in 2005

Source: provider review and LC database

Tourists spent ~325.330 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 (2004 - 1,28 d/n)foreign tourists – 3,25 d/n (2004 - 2,73 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

46%

63%

76%

12%

19%

20%

22%

39%

44%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Learn about country life

Do nothing

Buy country produce

Take part in local events

Do sightseeing

Enjoy healthy holidays

Have a party

Enjoy holiday activities

Observe and enjoy nature

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 BountyCountryside Bounty::rabbit and fowl breederrabbit 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 (400participants) konferences

Incoming tourists in 1996-2004

• Is it enough to celebrate the growing numbers of tourists?

• Consider the “quality” – behavior, attitudes of tourists and their purpose of travelling

17131824 1801

17181914

2039

22732470

3033

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1996.g. 1997.g. 1998.g. 1999.g. 2000.g. 2001.g. 2002.g. 2003.g. 2004.g.

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

108.7

118.4

98.2

6674.4 70.8

96

124.4

141.9

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

1996.g. 1997.g. 1998.g. 1999.g. 2000.g. 2001.g. 2002.g. 2003.g. 2004.g.

63 64

54

38 38

34

42

5046

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1996.g. 1997.g. 1998.g. 1999.g. 2000.g. 2001.g. 2002.g. 2003.g. 2004.g.

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 watching • Nature 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”

RT products based on “golden resources”

Thank you for attention! www.celotajs.lv

Latvian Country Tourism Association “Lauku ceļotājs”Kugu str. 11, Riga, LatviaTel.: +371 7617600, Fax: +371 7830041, e-mail: lauku@celotajs.lv