Sustainable tourism development in Latvia 

High unemployment rates place a burden on a nature area in eastern Latvia. Sustainable tourism development will help reverse this trend.
In eastern Latvia, bordering Belarus, is a nature area which offers experiences out of the ordinary. Particularly the area near Rezekne, which holds one of the country's largest wetlands, offers excellent opportunities for birdwatching as rare species migrate past on their way to warmer countries. But the area is also characterised by high unemployment rates.

This situation is now being turned around. A project to ensure sustainable development of the area's tourism through economic and environmental improvements is proving successful, and the nature area is now buzzing with activity. A local guesthouse offers rooms at reasonable prices to Latvians wanting to explore nature and go fishing, and the wheels of the local sawmill are turning again.

This means that approximately 75 per cent of participants in the project area are working again, among other things as nature guides and construction workers. A similar project is being carried out in Estonia, but focusing on sustainable waste management.

"This is a pioneering project in the Baltic States, and it has been a great success in Latvia. Before the project, the locals had little prospect of development, but now they have become aware of the investment potential the area offers in terms of nature tourism. That has sparked off the positive development," says COWI Project Manager Niels E. Olesen.

Bright prospects for the future

COWI was responsible for the overall management of the project, which finished in December 2001. Expert assistance was provided by a regional Danish employment service centre and a Danish adult vocational training centre. The project is a part of the sector-integrated efforts "Baltic Area Sector-Integrated Environmental Assistance - Environmental Employment and Education, 1999-2001", under the auspices of the Danish Ministry for Employment.

The project was planned in close cooperation with the Latvian Ministry of Welfare.

The prospects for the future of the region are bright. Japan recently offered to invest in tourism in Latvia, and a local organisation has been established in Rezekne, focusing on continuing the sustainable development of the area.

Published 28.01.2002