Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of different cultural events including music
and ballet, as well as by highlighting museums
and galleries. The traditions of the country were
shown in the stories celebrating Christmas and
midsummer. The capital city of Latvia, Riga, was
especially promoted in the brochure. The nightlife
in Riga was described as intensive and sophisti-
cated. The city was also mentioned to be the fash-
ion centre of the Baltic countries. Nature was also
highlighted: long beaches and rare animals were
emphasized. An orientation towards children
was also evident: the country was presented as a
safe and natural holiday resort for families.
The national tourist board of Lithuania pro-
vided only brochures of Vilnius for our survey. A
brochure for walking tours emphasized buildings:
churches, mansions, castles and the town hall.
Finland's winter brochures tend to focus on
Lapland and its attractions: Santa Claus, Lapps,
reindeers, northern lights, constructions of snow
(snow castles and igloos, ice hotel) and eating
by the fire. Brochures promise 'the ultimate
snow adventure'. Summer promotions empha-
size nature and the activities that can be carried
out in it, with an emphasis on water. Culture is a
second emphasis.
In all the brochures from the Baltic countries
and those from Finland, nature was a central
focus. However, there were some differences in
emphasis. In Latvia, sandy beaches were pro-
moted. In Finland, the focus was also on water
and the beautiful scenery of the inland lakes. In
Estonia, the emphasis was more on forests and
nature trails. Nevertheless, in the Baltic countries,
the induced image communicated in the bro-
chures placed stress on cultural and historical
aspects. The medieval architecture was espe-
cially portrayed. In Finnish brochures, culture
was more in a supporting role to nature. In
Finland, the versatility of services and activities
was emphasized and the information concerning
these activities was much more detailed than in
the brochures of the Baltic countries.
During the ITB fair in Berlin in 2004
and 2005, it appeared that Baltic and Central
European countries (especially Poland, and also
the Czech Republic and Slovakia) now offer
similar travel experiences as Finland and other
Nordic countries. For example, Estonian spas,
the Polish lake district, hiking and snow holidays
in the Tatras, are serious competitors for Finnish
travel products.
Most new member countries have several
benefits compared to Finland. The accessibility of
these countries, not only due to their location, but
also due to their tourist attractions will develop
further in the near future. Already today, several
low-cost airlines fly to the new member countries
(Davidson, 2004). In addition, the quality of road
and railway networks is improving at a brisk pace.
The new member countries will tempt
tourists with their exoticness, moderate price
levels and easy accessibility (Lohmann, 2004).
The European Tourism Forum in Budapest in
October 2004 found that the new member
countries had become more attractive in the
eyes of international chains and investors. It is to
be expected that their tourist infrastructure will
improve at a fast pace (Davidson, 2004). EU
subsidies will also enable more intensive invest-
ments in product development and marketing. In
addition, EU membership itself will promote
positive publicity for the countries concerned.
Improving Consistency Through
Infrastructure Developments
The World Tourism Organization (WTO, 2001,
p. 44) has envisioned that Central and Eastern
Europe, accession countries of the Baltic rim
included, will be the fastest growing tourism
area in Europe by 2020. The Baltic rim might
be one of the Northern European cultural and
economic 'hot spots' (Ellerman-Jensen, 2002).
From the viewpoint of Finland, an important
dimension will be the substantial upgrading of
the infrastructure of the eastern side of the Baltic
Sea and the activation of the measures of the
sub-regions (administrative provinces) towards
reaching deeper and wider cooperation.
There are three trans-national routes,
which have been on the Finnish agenda as to
the infrastructural development of the north-
eastern Baltic Rim. The Middle Nordic Corridor
will link the provinces of the middle parts of
Norway, Sweden and Finland and will increase
their mutual cooperation partly by INTERREG
funding. Also, the Mid-Scandinavian link to
St Petersburg has been added to the scheme,
and funded partly by TACIS CBC. The concept
implicitly includes tourism as an industry to be
jointly developed.
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