LATVIA TOURISM ADMINISTRATIVE AND TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION

The Ministry of Economics has the function of the National Tourism Administration in Latvia. The main functions are:

• to develop, coordinate and implement tourism development state policy;
• to develop tourism legislation and policy planning documents;
• to represent the State’s interests in the tourism sector;
• to plan State aid to the tourism sector;
• to prepare and implement international agreements regarding co-operation in the field of tourism, as well as to co-ordinate the development of international projects;
• to cooperate with local and international tourism organizations and institutions.

Latvian Tourism Development Agency

The Agency is the National Tourism Organization in Latvia. The Agency is a state institution supervised by the Ministry of Economics and is responsible for tourism policy implementation, marketing and promoting Latvia as an attractive tourist destination.

The main functions are following:

• tourism marketing and public relations activities;
• tourism product development and promotion;
• realization of PPP projects in tourism sector;
• attraction of financial resources.

To promote Latvia as a tourist destination both at national and international level, the Latvian Tourism Development Agency has:

• 4 regional bureaus (in Kurzeme, Zemgale, Latgale and Vidzeme);
• Latvian Tourism Information Bureau (in Riga);
• 4 Latvian Tourism Bureaus - abroad: in Finland (Helsinki), UK (London), Sweden (Stockholm) and Russia (Moscow), as well as joint Baltic Tourist Office in Germany (Berlin) co financed together with Estonian and Lithuanian state agencies.

Beside, tourism is facilitated by 92 tourism bureaus, tourism centres, and tourism points, located in the whole territory of Latvia, administrated by local municipalities and other authorities.

A Latvian Tourism Advisory Council was established in which tourism associations and other nongovernmental organizations participate in the elaboration and implementation of the tourism state policy nationally and locally. The major tourism associations are following:

• Association of Latvian Travel Agents;
• Latvian Hotel and Restaurant Association;
• Latvian Rural Tourism Association;
• Latvian Youth Hostels Association;
• Latvian Professional Tour Guide Association;
• Latvian Tour Guide Association;
• Latvian Association of Tourist Information Organizations “LATTURINFO”;
• Latvian Campsite Association;
• Tourism Education Association of Latvia;
• e-tourism Association of Latvia;
• Ecotourism Union of Latvia;
• Inspiration Riga - Riga Convention Bureau;
• Kūrortpilsētu asociācija
• Lielo pilsētu asociācija
• 4 regional associations (Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Latgale, Zemgale)