Asnāte Ziemele Latvian Country Tourism Association Lauku ceļotājs Baltic Country Holidays –...
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Transcript of Asnāte Ziemele Latvian Country Tourism Association Lauku ceļotājs Baltic Country Holidays –...
Asnāte Ziemele
Latvian Country Tourism Association Lauku ceļotājs
Baltic Country Holidays – Success Baltic Country Holidays – Success Factors from LatviaFactors from Latvia
Latvian Country Tourism Association Legal form: NGO (owns a Ltd. company for commercial activities)Founded: 1993 Members: ~300 (rural tourism entrepreneurs)Staff: ~10
Tasks:
• RT product development
• Quality control and labelling
• Povider training and consultations
• Promotion and marketing (brochures, maps, Internet)
• Lobbying for interests of members
RT product development
1990• Collective farms fall apart, private farms develop
• Farmers seek for extra income – offer free rooms to tourists
1993 - Foundation of the Association - organized development of RT starts:
• Database
• Quality system and inspection
• Promotion
• Reservation office
B&B (serviced accommodation)
• Accommodation in providers house, sharing WC and shower
• No big investments in furniture and equipment
• Provider family “resources” used for tourists
Cottages (self-catering)
• Operating mostly in summer season (no heating)
• Modest furnishing
1993-19962 accommodation types establish
1997 → EU and National subsidies availableB&B
• Repairs and renovations, new constructions
• Separate WC and entrance for guests
• Attention to furniture and equipment
Cottages
• New constructions – answering the customer demand of privacy
• Heating, well equipped kitchen
Party facilities
• For private parties, weddings, company outings
• 1-2 rooms for partying, few bedrooms with many beds, sauna
Number of accommodations and beds
(1994-2005) Source: LC database
332
1880
3154
5243
275 294172 210 24020 38 46 70 98 116
405141373790
732494416
200167
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
accommodations
beds
Rural tourism in 2005
Source: provider review and LC database
Tourists spent ~325.330 bednights
Average occupation rate 17% (-2%)
~70% of the number of tourists stayed in the country in summer months
Average length of stay: domestic tourists – 1,4 d/n (2004 - 1,28 d/n)foreign tourists – 3,25 d/n (2004 - 2,73 d/n)
Tourist spendings in RT accommodations (LC database) ~ 7 milj. Ls. (+26%).
2000 → RT is not just a bed
RT is not just a bed:customer review results
46%
63%
76%
12%
19%
20%
22%
39%
44%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Learn about country life
Do nothing
Buy country produce
Take part in local events
Do sightseeing
Enjoy healthy holidays
Have a party
Enjoy holiday activities
Observe and enjoy nature
Green Certificate
Environment – is the main selling point
of Rural Tourism
• “Green Certificate” eco-label
• “Green Holidays” brand
• Changing the way of thinking of providers and customers
towards environmental sustainability
Green Holidays Brand
• Clean rural environment
• Traditional farms, natural materials
• Activities in nature
• Ecologically clean, local food
• Information about things to see
• Celebration of traditional holidays
• Play areas and pets for the children
• High-quality tourism services
Tourists
Local community benefits supplying customer demand
Info services
Restaurants
Stocked ponds,etc.
Local industry
Activity facilities
Craft shops
Countryside Bounty – opening the countryside to visitors
• Agricultural farms – small scale farms growing crops, vegetables, fruit, animal breeding, poultry• Fishing - stocked ponds for commercial finishing, crayfish, sea fishing, fish farming • Crafts – traditional and modern hand made products: pottery, weaving, furniture• Catering – small restaurants, shops, country pubs offering local, traditional food• Self-sustained and health farms – showing traditional rural lifestyle, promoting ancient health tradition – sauna, herbs, believes, bio farms• Food production – small-scale food production, using locally grown or made ingredients, local recipes
Countryside Bounty:A beekeeper
• tour of the apiary
• observe bees in a hive with a glass wall
• a beekeeping history room
• purchase honey
• purchase bees
Countryside Bounty:Cheese maker at Eleja village
• former bakery
• a French, making soft cheese from local products
• one of the new varieties called “Eleja”s cheese”
• a tour of the facility
• cheese tasting, sales outlet
Countryside BountyCountryside Bounty::rabbit and fowl breederrabbit and fowl breeder
• 300 rabbits for breeding and food
• guinea fowls, peacocks, ducks, geese, quail
• eggs available for sail
Review on sustainable rural tourism development in Latvia
• inventory of the current situation and negative impacts
• recommendations for actions to prevent / reduce the negative environmental, economic and social aspects at all stakeholder levels
presented at the national RT conference on February 3, 2006 (400participants) konferences
Incoming tourists in 1996-2004
• Is it enough to celebrate the growing numbers of tourists?
• Consider the “quality” – behavior, attitudes of tourists and their purpose of travelling
17131824 1801
17181914
2039
22732470
3033
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
1996.g. 1997.g. 1998.g. 1999.g. 2000.g. 2001.g. 2002.g. 2003.g. 2004.g.
Spendings of incoming tourists
• Total spendings in mil. LVL (source: Central Board of Statistics)
• Spendings per person – lower that in the beginning of the decade
108.7
118.4
98.2
6674.4 70.8
96
124.4
141.9
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
1996.g. 1997.g. 1998.g. 1999.g. 2000.g. 2001.g. 2002.g. 2003.g. 2004.g.
63 64
54
38 38
34
42
5046
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1996.g. 1997.g. 1998.g. 1999.g. 2000.g. 2001.g. 2002.g. 2003.g. 2004.g.
Explanation?• Growing numbers of tourists in
transit – no overnight stays in Latvia
• High and still increasing price levels in the Baltic countries
• Drawbacks of infrastructure (roads, signposting,, services)
• Tourists using local natural resources and infrastructure without buying products/services (arriving with own food, equipment)
• Is it sustainable?
Benefits from rapid tourism development in rural areas
Problems from rapid tourism development in rural areas
How to achieve balance between economic development and
environment protection?
or…
What’s in the hands of stakeholders in rural areas
?
• To protect nature and biological diversity is sometimes enough to use simple, inexpensive and generally accessible means and tools
Environment protection
• Maintenance or even increase of biological diversity (species) in the
given territory
• Infrastructure in sensitive and highly touristic sites
Environment protection
• Rest stops for tourists with bonfire places, benches, waste bins, etc.
• Directing tourist flow (also tourists “protected” from being a crowd)
Protection of biological diversity
• Do not advertise sensitive and easily destroyable natural values (biotopes)
• Do not advertise / do not incorporate in tourism product protected and rare species
Environment friendly information
• Environment friendly behaviour codes on signposts
• Develop routes and nature trails, keeping in mind nature protection
Environment friendly and well considered tourist activities
• Bird watching • Nature guides
think outside the limits of project deadlines!
What is behind of rural tourism success in
Latvia
or
rural tourism golden resources
1. Nature, biological diversity
2. Rural landscape, environment
3. Rural people, their occupations
4. Country food
5. Traditions
6. Diverse cultural heritage
RT products based on “golden resources”
RT products based on “golden resources”
Thank you for attention! www.celotajs.lv
Latvian Country Tourism Association “Lauku ceļotājs”Kugu str. 11, Riga, LatviaTel.: +371 7617600, Fax: +371 7830041, e-mail: [email protected]