Latvian Tourism Newsletter – March 2012

March, 2012

Top stories

Riga Marathon

Night of the Museums – May 19

New Latvian tourism quality logo launched at this year’s "Balttour" international tourism exhibition

March, 2012

Top stories

Riga Marathon

Night of the Museums – May 19

New Latvian tourism quality logo launched at this year’s "Balttour" international tourism exhibition

Culture tourism

International Baltic Ballet Festival

From April 27 to May 28, the annual ballet festival - International Baltic Ballet Festival, will once again delight audiences for the seventeenth time, and is due to offer varied and rich ballet and dance programs. The festival will feature stars from around the world and will allow dance enthusiasts to enjoy world-class performances from classical to avant-garde. The festival will be also...
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Premieres at Latvian National Opera

This spring, the Latvian National Opera (LNO) will feature two premieres – Richard Wagner’s opera "Gotterdammerung" on April 29, and Gaetano Donizetti’s opera "Lucia Di Lammermoor" on May 24. The opera’s conductor will be one of Germany’s rising stars Cornelius Meister. On the other hand, the director of the opera will be Viesturs Kairišs, who has...
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Latvian National Symphony Orchestra’s season closing concerts

On May 10 and 11, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) will perform its season ending concerts at the Great Guild Hall in Riga. LNSO Chief Conductor Karel Mark Chichon will conduct the orchestra as it performs excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev’s "Romeo and Juliet". Chichon will be joined by the internationally renowned violinist Guy Braunstein, first concertmaster of the...
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Latvia’s majestic palaces and castles

Latvia is a country rich in castles, palaces and manor houses, and is a perfect place for those who enjoy architecture and culture. Some of the most well-known palaces and castles in Latvia include Bauska Castle, the former residence of the Duke of Courland, the Classicism style Mežotne Palace, as well as the Baroque pearl of the Baltics – Rundāle Palace, which was designed and...
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Entertainment tourism

Night of the Museums – May 19

Once every year, people have the unique opportunity to visit various museums at nighttime and for free, which means that the Night of the Museums has arrived. On this night, most of Latvia’s museums organize special events and interesting exhibitions, which have become almost a pilgrimage for many persons who try to visit as many museums as possible. This year, the Night of the...
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Active and sports tourism

Riga Marathon

The "Nordea" Riga Marathon will be held once again in the Latvian capital this May, which has over the past several years gained much popularity and increased its prestige globally. This year’s event will once again gather thousands of athletes from all over the world. This year’s "Nordea" Riga Marathon will take place on May 20 (Sunday). The start area is located in downtown...
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Health tourism

Summer resort season in Jurmala begins

The summer resort season in the Latvian coastal city of Jurmala will kick off on May 19. Celebrations will begin on the day with the annual parade through the streets of the city. Various special cultural events will also take place throughout the city on May 19. Jurmala is the largest resort city in the Baltics, and has much history as a resort town. The city is located only 25 kilometers...
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Shopping tourism

Arts and crafts festival "Līvas ciems"

On May 26 and 27 in the Latvian costal city of Liepaja, the 10th annual "Līvas ciems" (Liv village) arts and crafts festival will be held on the city’s promenade. Artists and craftsmen from all over Latvia will be on hand to show of their products. Over the years, the festival has developed from a relatively small traditional arts and crafts fair, to a large culture, crafts and...
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Culinary tourism

Romantic wine tour through Kurzeme

For the past several years, the charming town of Sabile in Kurzeme Province (western Latvia) has celebrated its annual Wine Festival. Furthermore, it is possible to sample locally produced wine at the annual Duke Jacob Market every autumn in Kuldiga. However, a whole wine tour through Kurzeme Province has been created for tourists this year, which offers travelers a romantic tour through...
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Tourism industry news

Latvia participates in international tourism exhibitions in Russia, Germany and Sweden

In March, Latvia, in cooperation with the State Tourism Development Agency (TAVA) will participate in three international tourism exhibitions in Berlin, Moscow and Gothenburg. With support from the European Regional Development Fund, participating in these exhibitions will be representatives from 10 local governments and 24 local companies associated with the tourism sector. From March 7...
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Moving forward with determination

Spring is just starting to draw closer, as Latvia’s tourism sector is still in hibernation. However, 2012 has started with a good mood and the determination to work hard to achieve huge goals. This is due to the fact that 2011 was a very successful year for the Latvian tourism sector. During the first half of last year, the number of tourists visiting Latvia grew each month, with the...
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Spa center "ESPA Riga" wins prestigious award and gain global recognition

For the past ten years, readers of the world’s most popular travel magazine "Conde Nast Traveller" have voted for the top SPA centers in the world on their web-page www.cntraveller.com, with the "ESPA Riga" spa center coming up on top in one category. The "Conde Nast Traveller’s" annual "Readers SPA awards 2012" singles out the best relaxation centers in Great Britain and...
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New Latvian tourism quality logo launched at this year’s "Balttour" international tourism exhibition

During the recent "Balttour 2012"’tourism exhibition, the new Latvian tourism quality system "Q Latvia" was introduced. The first to be granted the symbol was the Mežotne Palace Hotel, Turaida Castle Complex and Museum, Valmiermuiža Brewery, hotel "Raibie Logi" and the "Bīriņu Pils" hotel. Also given the logo were several Riga tourism information centers – at Ratslaukums...
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Jurmala wins Russian tourism award

For the ninth year in a row, the Latvian coastal resort city of Jurmala has been named "Best Baltic Sea Region Resort 2011" by the Russian tourism portal www.travel.ru. Readers of the Russian tourism portal have named Jurmala the top resort in the Baltic Sea region since the on-line voting competition was established in 2003. Jurmala competed with the top resorts in Germany, Scandinavia,...
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Tourism portal offers several travel routes through Eastern Europe

The tourism news portal "Agrophilia" has come up with several interesting travel routes through Eastern Europe, with one of the routes going through Latvia. For most Brits and Americans, Eastern Europe is a relatively unknown area of the world. These travelers tend to concentrate on the more well known destinations: France, Spain, Portugal, and Amsterdam, etc – and so unfortunately...
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Useful Information

Tourist Hotline 1188

The State Tourism Development Agency has set up an official tourist information hotline 1188 to heighten convenience and comfort for visitors while in Latvia, offering support, advice and trouble-shooting 24h in the English, German, Russian and Latvian languages. Tourist Hotline 1188 offers: • Informative support in emergency situations (for example, theft, scams, rip-offs, consular...
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