Although this year's exhibition stands are sparingly assembled in only one hall, there was a lot of activity around them and tourists were also interested in domestic travel as well as destinations abroad, reported Latvian Radio.
A third of the economically active population of Latvia and an equally large proportion of the population of Lithuania plan to visit Latvia this summer, as well as a quarter of the population of Estonia, according to survey data compiled by SKDS and presented by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) at the opening of Balttour.
Latvian Radio asked the participants of the exhibition how Latvian regions are preparing for the tourism season and what will be new on offer.
Līga Kondrāte, head of the Ludza Tourism Information Center, stated: "Of course, the main Latgale route is the lakes route, and 19 other shorter and longer routes are offered in the Ludza area. Last year we started to build the Lake Route, we did the marketing, this year we will continue to improve it. Ezertaka is a 1,700 kilometer (km) long hiking trail with 134 lakes alon the way. With forests, with farms, with home producers, with attractions."
In order to make long-distance trips in Latgale more financially profitable, tourism organizers invite you to use the train more actively, and a special offer "Travel wisely" has been created on the Ludza tourism website.
Ieva Skābarde, the director of the South Kurzeme district tourism center, also encourages travelers to walk more this season. She said that several new hiking routes have been created in Kurzeme as well as organized hikes.
Skābarde said: "A walk in Aizpute is organized by very interesting entrepreneurs. It is called the "Forest Design Garden". They 'grow' furniture. In the section from Aizpute to Liepāja, furniture is grown by the highway - lamps, chairs, various gazebos are made from willows."
Meanwhile, near the Turaida Castle in Vidzeme, on May 1, a historical building built in the clay brick technique will open its doors with an exhibition o Latvian history according to the educational manager of the Turaida Museum Reserve, Gunta Zaķīte.
"It is important especially at this time - to see what the country of Latvia is, how it came to be, how the Latvian nation was formed. What a huge amount of work has gone into it," she said.
