Professional news
On February 19, a webinar took place on the Central Baltic Sea Region Programme and its 5th project call, where representatives of the Baltic Nature Tourism (NAT-TOUR-EXPO) project shared their experiences. During the presentation, the project's expected results were discussed, along with insights into the chosen target market, planned and past activities, and key lessons learned.
On April 10, 2025, the Embassy of Latvia in the UK will host "A Taste of Latvian Nature and Adventure," an event highlighting Latvia’s nature tourism opportunities. Organized as part of the Baltic Nature Tourism project, the event will introduce Latvian tourism businesses and their outdoor experiences.
On February 18-19th, the fifth meeting of the "Forest and Coastal Hiking Trails' accessibility improvement for different social groups" project partners took place in Peipsimaa, Estonia. On the first day, the project partners shared their activities since the previous meeting in September, as well as the tasks to be carried out in the future, the responsibilities and involvement of each project partner were discussed. On the second day, February 19, we went to inspect potential places on the "Forest Trail" route along Lake Peipus that would be suitable for placing web cameras. During the day, we checked the "Forest Trail" marking in nature, as well as found new tourism service providers to add to the baltictrails.eu website.
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On February 11, Ķemeri National Park will host an international Sustainable Tourism event, bringing together approximately 100 participants from Latvia, Estonia, and Sweden. The event will convene tourism professionals, municipal representatives, and state institutions working on tourism development in Protected Areas.
From January 28th to 31st, a FAM tour (familiarization trip) was held, attended by seven media representatives and tour operators from the United Kingdom. The purpose of the visit was to showcase nature tourism opportunities in Latvia and Estonia, despite challenging weather conditions. During the visit, participants learned not only about nature and active tourism possibilities but also about Latvian and Estonian culture, history, and had the chance to explore Riga. For most of the participants, it was their first time in Latvia, and their expectations varied prior to the trip. Some imagined snowy white landscapes, while others expected an interesting history, Eastern European cuisine, and traditions.
We shall be proudly showcasing Latvian ciders at CiderCon 2025, the largest cider conference and trade show in the United States.
CiderCon is the leading annual cider conference for industry professionals and an excellent opportunity to learn, share experiences, taste ciders, and network with people from all over the world working in various sectors of the cider industry. The conference will offer presentations, seminars, and workshops on themed categories: Doing Business Better, Knowing the Trends, Growing Bountiful Apples, Exploring Cider’s Flavor and Terroir, Crafting Amazing Cider, Selling More Cider. There will also be a trade show showcasing the cider industry.
The online learning course titled Baltic Nature Tourism and Sustainability at the Equator Global https://www.equator.global/ provided an in-depth overview of nature tourism in the Baltic region, focusing on sustainable practices and the cultural and natural diversity of Latvia and its neighboring countries. It covered topics such as wildlife observation, eco-friendly accommodations, foraging traditions, and adventure activities, emphasizing low-impact tourism and conservation.
The conference "Integrating Military Heritage into Tourism and Education," held on 10 January 2025 in Riga, brought together historians, educators, and military heritage tourism professionals from the Baltic countries and across Europe. The event fostered a spirit of collaboration among these sectors on international scale, aiming to make history education more engaging and accessible for younger audiences, especially school-aged children, by incorporating military heritage site visits and programmes into school curricula. By sharing experiences and building connections, participants laid the groundwork for fresh, creative approaches to teaching history, with a focus on broadening perspectives beyond national borders. We hope that the conference has inspired new standards in history education, supported by the integration of military heritage tourism and international approach.
This event was organized by Baltic Country Holidays and supported by the European Union Interreg VI-A Estonia–Latvia Programme. It served as a platform to exchange ideas and strengthen international cooperation in military heritage tourism.
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Strong yesterday – free today!
The Christmas Battles of the First World War are etched in Latvian history as a tragic yet heroic tale. According to the old style, or Julian calendar, the attack on the German Imperial Army began on 23rd December 1916, on the eve of Christmas. These battles, in which all Latvian rifleman regiments participated for the first time, became known as the "Christmas Battles". The Christmas Battles and the subsequent January Battles were the most tragic yet also one of the most heroic chapters in the history of the Latvian riflemen. The Latvian riflemen achieved what no Russian unit had managed on the Riga front – breaking through the German defences and capturing an area of approximately 30 square kilometres. During the Christmas Battles, both Russian and Latvian forces suffered heavy losses, with the Latvian losses measured in the thousands. These significant casualties severely undermined the loyalty of the Latvians to the Russian Empire's authorities and marked a turning point in both the history of the riflemen and Latvia. The riflemen's fight is depicted in Aleksandrs Grīns' novel and the 2019 film adaptation, Blizzard of Souls ("Dvēseļu putenis").
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For more information about the Christmas Battles, visit the Military Heritage Tourism website: militaryheritagetourism.info/en/military/topics/view/81
We are pleased to invite you to a pan-Baltic workshop on Integrating Military Heritage into Tourism and History Education, taking place on 10 January 2025 at the Latvian War Museum in Riga, Latvia. This event is part of a joint initiative to expand military heritage tourism across the Baltic countries, uniting Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania to share the collective story of Baltic independence while connecting tourism, education, and military heritage - militaryheritagetourism.info.
Please register by December 15, 2024, by filling out the registration form: https://forms.gle/gLkxMZdYPpya8jbH9
