Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
World War I. After the restoration of independ-
ence following the collapse of Czarist Russia,
domestic tourism was developed, based on
familiarizing citizens with their native land.
Rural tourism and activity tourism became pop-
ular, alongside curative tourism, and after the
world economy crisis of the 1920s and early
1930s the number of foreign tourists every year
increased. The Soviet period brought a curtail-
ment of natural ties with much of Europe and
tourism became subordinate to Soviet ideology.
None the less, activity tourism (re-)developed,
while leisure and curative tourism flourished.
In particular, with regard to global trends, demo-
graphic change in Europe, and the renewal of
R
i
ga as a Baltic business centre, tourism product
development should be viewed in terms of two
large product groups: leisure and business tourism.
Leisure tourism products
Leisure tourism products need to relate to target
groups according to age, social status or inter-
ests. Latvia can offer senior tourists culture and
curative tourism. Germans, Russians, Swedes
and Poles have all left their footprints in the
culture landscape from ancient times, and the
country's rich cultural heritage, supported by
well-established tourism infrastructure, should
witness an increased demand for this type of
product.
Latvian folk traditions and events, such as
the L
i
go Festival (Midsummer) and song and
dance festival, could be offered to cruise tourists
whose numbers are likely to increase in the com-
ing decade. Latvia must employ its geographical
position and three port cities R
i
ga, Liep
a
ja and
Ventspils to advantage in this respect. At present,
Tallinn (Estonia) is the Baltic leader in sea
passenger transport, but R
i
ga has considerable
growth capacity. The city municipality must
therefore promote accessibility by sea, while
small ports in the R
i
ga Gulf (Roja, Skulte) and on
the Baltic Sea coast (P
a
vilosta) have the poten-
tial to attract yachting tourists.
The ageing of Europe and the variety of
health problems require curative and medical
leisure products. Latvia possesses top-class
medical professionals, but they often choose to
work abroad. It is important to encourage coop-
eration between medicine and tourism, creating
tourism products related to dentistry, planned
surgery or plastic surgery. Prices of various
beauty, relaxation and related medical services
in Latvia can be two to ten times lower than in
other EU countries. J
u
rmala could become a
significant centre of curative tourism: during
Soviet times it was one of the most popular
resorts in the USSR, and attracted 6m tourists
every year (Slava, 2004).
Since the turn of the century, several water
amusement parks have been built in Latvia, the
largest being in J
u
rmala. Currently the biggest
water amusement park in Northern Europe, it
Post-socialist change
After disruption of the planned economy in
1991, the structure of employment rapidly
changed, especially in rural areas. Along with
the land and building privatization process,
many inhabitants regained their former land
and properties, including those with consider-
able cultural and historical value (manors,
castles - the Association of Latvian Castles,
Palaces and Manors has 80 members, 30 of
whom provide tourism services:
www.castles.
lv),
and land in nature-protected areas. In the
following years this restructuring of ownership
influenced the provision of attractions and facili-
ties, development and competition among the
local enterprises, as well as with Baltic and
European tourism entrepreneurs.
Until 1991, a limited number of destina-
tions in Latvia were available to local and espe-
cially foreign tourists, such as Sigulda, J
u
rmala,
Rund
a
le Palace, C
g
sis and
F
rg
k
i. Holiday and
tourism opportunities were directly influenced
by the availability of public transport, as the
level of access to motor cars was low for many
people. Between 1997 and 2005 the number of
registered cars in the country rose from almost
380,000 to more than 686,000 (CSDD, 2005),
an increase of some 80%. This growth, while
bringing various problems of pollution and con-
gestion, has facilitated the wider availability of
tourism products and services outside the major
cities, thereby stimulating greater competition
between destinations and attractions.
Yet tourism opportunities have been offered
in a chaotic way, and products need to be sys-
tematically assessed, developed and promoted.
