Title |
Target audience |
Topics |
Hours |
| How to start a rural tourism business |
Beginners – rural tourism providers, organizers |
What is rural tourism? Terms. Rural tourism development in Europe and Latvia. Registration of a business, legal forms of businesses in rural tourism. Business plan, financial planning, cost calculation. Service and its quality. Rural tourism accommodation quality standards. Furnishing tourist rooms. Developing extra services and facilities. |
5 |
| Rural tourism accommodation quality standards and inspection |
Inspectors, rural tourism providers |
Rural tourism quality in Latvia and international benchmarking. Quality criteria and categories, inspection procedure and quality assessment. Inspector’s manual and inspection checklist. |
5 |
| Catering – food preparation and service |
Rural tourism providers |
Setting up menus, types of meals, calculation of costs. Food service for individual customers and various groups (parties, seminars, excursion groups, etc.). |
5 |
| Applied psychology – understanding customers’ needs |
Rural tourism providers |
Preventing and solving conflicts and complaints. What are the real reasons for complaints? Motivation of guest behaviour and opportunities to influence it. Rural tourism customers bby countries, their different needs. |
5 |
| Marketing and advertising |
Rural tourism providers |
Marketing, advertising and sales, reservation system, analysis of supply-demand data: what are rural tourism customers and what factors influence their choice of a holiday site. Specialisation as a marketing opportunity. Understanding the market demand and relevant marketing. |
4 |
| Holiday activity opportunities |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
Opportunities to develop holiday activity facilities (e.g., walking, boating, bicycling, car and motorbike tourism, riding tours, skiing, etc.). Holiday activity resources, infrastructure and development. Active holiday guides and their work specifics. Marketing active holidays |
4 |
| Nature tourism opportunities |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
Tourism development opportunities (incl. resources, infrastructure) in protected nature areas – national parks, nature reserves, protected landscape areas, geological and geomorphological nature monuments, NATURA 2000 terrritories, etc.). The most popular and attractive nature trails in Latvia, bird watching sites, landscape viewing sites, etc. Restrictions in protected nature areas. |
4 |
| Culture tourism opportunities |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
The most important culture monuments in Latvia, tourist attractions, artisans in craftsmen, their workshops and offer for tourists. Culture tourism product and its development opportunities. |
4 |
| Environment friendly tyourism, the „Green Certificate” for rural tourism accommodations |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
The essence and basic principles of environment friendly tourism, development trends of ecotourism in Latvia and in the world. Sustainable tourism. The versatile tourism impact on environment. Tools and methods to prevent the negative impact of tourism on envirionment. „Sensitive”” biotopes and species, environmental capacity and its detection. „Green Advise” how to organise environment friendly tourism. „Green Certificate” – the sign of environmental and tourist service quality. Developing an environment friendly rural tourism establishment. Rational and careful use of environmental resources in rural tourism establishment, economical benefits. |
5 |
| Rural tourism resources in Latvia, infrastructure and product development |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
The existing and potentional rural tourism resources and infrastructure. Setting up infrastructure and its importance for tourist attractions. Rural tourism product in Latvia and in the Baltics. The basic principles of development of rural tourism product in Latvia. |
4 |
| Involvement of traditional and non-traditional farms in rural tourism offer –sales increasing opportunities |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
Opening a production establishment to visitors as a way to promote the product. Self-employment opportunities – involvement of non-traditional farms, craftsmen, fishermen and other micro entrepreneurs into the common tourism offer of a destination. Practical examples – the most attractive farms, organic and health farms, artisans, craftsmen – and their tourism product. „Countryside Bounty” brand – promotion for small and non-traditional rural entrepreneurs. |
5 |
| Nature and educational trails, the basic principles of their building |
Rural tourism providers, tourism organisers, municipality specialists |
How to build a nature or educational trail? The basic principles of building a trail. Nature trails – a tool in environment friendly and sustainable tourism development. Marketing nature trails. The most attractive nature and educational trails in Latvia. |
4 |
| Rural tourism establishment – a catering establishment |
Rural tourism providers |
Catering services in rural tourism establishments. The Food and Veterinary Service rgulations. Purchasing, transportation and storage of food products. Food preparation technologies, serving food for tourists. Documentation – food traceability journal, samples of menus, etc. Responsible staff for catering in a rural tourism establishment, personal hygiene norms. |
4 |
| Field training – experience exchange visits in rural tourism establishments |
Rural tourism providers |
Visits to successful rural tourism establishments, learning from the hosts; experience. Establishment and operation of rural tourism businesses, accommodation quality, compliance with safety norms and other regulations. Customer profile, specialisation, problems and solutions. |
1 day |
