The annual Vidzeme Tourism Conference, held on 28 November 2024, brought together tourism professionals, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts from the Vidzeme region to discuss trends, achievements, and plans for the future of the sector.
The first part of the conference was opened by a representative of the Salaspils Municipality Council, who shared insights into the importance of Salaspils as a key destination on Latvia’s tourism map and highlighted the aspects of which its residents are most proud of. This was followed by a presentation from the Director of the National Botanical Garden, focusing on visitor trends and future development plans. In addition, a representative from the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia outlined the achievements in tourism marketing for 2024 and unveiled the strategic plans for 2025.
During the presentation of current projects and future plans by the Vidzeme Tourism Association, Eva Koljera, Project Manager for HIGHRES, introduced the initiative, highlighting its mission, objectives, and activities focused on preserving intangible cultural heritage. She also presented the Good Practice Handbook, giving participants a glimpse into its contents and examples from Latvia that illustrate practical approaches to using digital storytelling for cultural preservation.
In the second part of the conference, participants had the opportunity to explore key topics, including:
- The importance of sustainable tourism and the need for cooperation in preserving natural values.
- Vivid examples of how Intangible Cultural Heritage can become a tourism resource were presented by Janina Kursite.
- The role of digitization in developing tourism products and businesses.
- Finally, an active family demonstrated how they turned an idea for a walking trail into a successful media project that now reaches thousands of people.
Learn more about HIGHRES and its mission here.
