In 2023, the Tourism Board of Valmiera Region has implemented various tourism activities and continued the previously started work on the development of the tourism sector. When the Valmiera Region was established two years ago, various research and planning works were carried out, which allow setting priorities and goals. The Tourism Board of Valmiera Region has worked with entrepreneurs, developed nature trails and tourism products, organized exciting events, promoted recognition of the Valmiera Region both locally and internationally. The year 2023 is also special because the tourism strategy of Valmiera Region was developed and the first tourism conference was held.
We started the year by inviting everyone to participate in the New Year’s resolution hike. As the saying goes, the year will continue the way you start, so the events are planned in such a way that not only the local residents, but also the visitors of the region will be entertained. We continued with the town games “Two bunnies with one trip” in Valmiera, Rūjiena, Mazsalaca, Strenči and Seda, 14 active recreation events were organized with a total of almost 500 participants. Last year the first hike and cycling event “Ziemeļu stiga” was held, during which in six stages we went from Valmiera along the Gauja river, through the Seda swamp, along lake Burtnieks, along the streets of Rūjiena and Naukšēni to the Unguriņu border point. It is planned that also in 2024, starting from April, the “Ziemeļu stiga” will take place, which will lead along the Estonian border to Mazsalaca. Currently, anyone can play the “Divi zaķi ar vienu braucienu” games in Dikļi, Valmiermuiža, Trikāta and Naukšēni. Games until April 7. Meanwhile, in spring and autumn, the “Great Valmiera Region Excursion” will take place to Rūjiena, Burtnieki, Mazsalaca, while the fourth route – “Blind Date” (“Aklais randiņš”) – will take the participants into the previously unknown.
The “Mājas kafejnīcu dienas” (“Home café days”) have already become an anual event. Last year, at the event, 26 home cafes opened their doors to ~3,500 gourmets from different parts of the world, including countries such as the USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Spain, Ukraine, Italy and Finland. This year, the “Home cafe days’ will also be held in Valmiera Region on August 3 and 4. Last year the Valmiera Restaurant Week was held twice – spring and autumn, gathering almost 3000 guests. Eight Valmiera restaurants welcomed them and highlighted the flavors of the region in cooperation with farms and home producers. In 2024, the Restaurant Week is planned from November 18 to December 1. Also a long-standing tradition is the “Valmiera Region Tourism promotion”, in which more than 300 participants participated in 2023, competing for the main prize – an “Erenpreiss” bicycle. This year, too, we have already started planning the promotion, and it will take place from August to October.
In the development of international tourism, the cooperation of the municipality of Valmiera Region with the tourism association of the Gauja National Park “Enter Gauja” continues in order to include the offer of the region in common activities. In 2023, the Valmiera Region was represented at two international tourism exhibitions in the Netherlands and Finland, as well as this year’s first international exhibiton in Finland. The cooperation with the network “ViA Hansaetica” and the Estonian town of Viljandi continues, by participating in the Viljandi Hanseatic Days, a special travel game for the Estonian targed audience “Valmiera ringreisi mäng!” has also been developed. A cooperation with “Tartu 2024” has also been established, because the Valmiera Region is on the way to the cultural capital of 2024 and this year will be positioned as a good stopover for those going to or from Tartu.
In 2023, tour operators, journalists and local government representatives from Japan, Georgia, Finland, Great Britain, Lithuania and Estonia were welcomed. The activities of the mobile TIC of Valmiera Region have also continued by visiting the biggest events of Valmiera Region, and we have also participated in “Latvian Traders’ Days”, Šiauliai tourism street in Lithuania, XXVII Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival in Esplanade.
The tradition started in 2022 was continued in 2023 as well – every month to share the experiences of tourism entrepreneurs on the development of tourism products. Through these stories and experiences we have gotten to know more about Vinery “Matilde”, “Ēdiendaris”, “Vidzemes laivas”, “Kalnmestri”, “Mežurgas”, hemp farm “Adzelvieši”, “Gulbīt’s” desert factory”, “Strenču guest house”, and felting with Inga Logina. 2024 will be no different and the first entrepreneur interview with Raisa Jablonska from the “R Chocolate” is already complete.
During the year, the Tourism Board met several times and on various topics with the tourism entrepreneurs of Valmiera Region. Two experience exchange trips of tourism entrepreneurs were organized, which took place here in Valmiera Region, to promote networking and get to know each other’s offer. This year will also have one trip in the territory of the region, while the other one – to the neighboring Estonians.
In 2023, the Valmiera Region Tourism Development Strategy 2024-2028 was developed. Seven meetings were held in each association to find out the interests and thoughts of local entrepreneurs. Every month, entrepreneurs receive a monthly overview of the administration’s initiated and completed activities.
In 2023, a Lithuanian language version was introduced in the Valmiera Region tourism portal “visit.valmiera.lv”, because the presence of travelers from this country in Valmiera Region is increasing. This year, it is planned to continue work on the preparation of the German language version as well. In the past year, the tourism opportunities and offers of Valmiera Region were written about in the magazines “Mājas Viesis” and “Ainavu dārgumi”, the information was included in the book “Unique Baltics”, in the Viljandi district newspaper “Sakala”, in the Estonian newspaper “Puhkus Lätis 2023”, in the Lithuanian publication “Lankitinos Vietos Latvijajoje”, Reisijuht.ee, various articles also on delfi.ee and delfi.lt, tourism guide, travelnews.lv. In October, the family of travelers and the creators of the blog “Četri ceļo gardi” got to know the fair of Simjudas and the tourism offer of the town of Valmiera. Likewise, we continue our cooperation with this family of bloggers in 2024, and the second article about the northern part of the region has also been published. This year, we are planning to work in the Baltic market as well, offering various advertising articles and activities. Professional photo shooting sessions were held with tourism entrepreneurs, thereby promoting the recognition of their visual image. In 2023, a representative video of the Valmiera Region was developed, which depicts not only the offer of tourism entrepreneurs of the Valmiera Region, but also the beautiful nature, the wide network of homemakers and the development of the region visible at every step. The range of Valmiera Region souvenirs has been expanded with items representative of Valmiera and Valmiera Region, which are available to anyone interested in the Valmiera Tourism Information Center at Bruninieku street 1, Valmiera, Zilākalns Cultural History and Visitor Center at Parka street 2 in Zilākalns and Mazsalaca Tourism Information Center at Parka street 31. It is planned that in 2024, work on developing the spread of the souvenir trade network will be continued, in cooperation with the Naukšēnu Cilvēkmuzejs and entrepreneurs who are already engaged in souvenir trade.
In 2022, a lot of work was invested in surveying all (107) tourist information stands of Valmiera Region and determining what work needs to be done to improve and restore them. In 2023, the Tourism Board of Valmiera Region renovated 27 billboards in all associations of Valmiera Region, updating the maps on them in the centers of towns and villages. Also this year, intensive work is planned to restore the billboards so that quality information is available to tourists. At the beginning of June, within the framework of the integrated field practice the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences students carried out improvement works in the Jēču nature trail and Zilākalns. Meanwhile in Dikļi, with the support of the “Lauku atbalsta dienests” and the LEADER project, the Dikļi Song Festival trails with audio guide checkpoints have been established. In Valmiera, the visual solution of the audio guide in the urban environment has been renewed, as well as updated information about objects. The audio guide includes 33 special stories about the town, places of interest, tourist attractions, their historical origin and significance today. Valmiera’s audio guide provides listeners with a unique experience, as it is possible to listen to stories voiced by various actors of the Valmiera Drama Theater. It is planned that in the future the audio guide offer will also be developed in other places in Valmiera Region. This year, work will be done on a special audio guide to the sculptures of Valmiera Region. Work on new branches of the Green railway will be started; they will be circular routes that include sections of the Green railway and make a loop through other roads to make cycling on the seemingly straight rail line even more interesting. Likewise, in the ESTLAT cross-border program, work on the transformation of the railway “Rūjiena-Meizakila” into a Green railway has started. We are also looking forward to the completion of the work on the new observation tower and health trail in Zilākalns. They are scheduled to be finished in May this year.
The printed materials were updated during the year – Valmiera street stories, the guide “Travel and relax in the Valmiera Region”, excursion routes in the Valmiera Region, “Valmiera – Hanseatic town” has been renewed in English, as well as published in Estonian and Lithuanian. Town maps have been developed – Rūjiena, Mazsalaca, Seda and Strenči, Valmiera. In 2024, we will work on updating the existing materials, publishing the guide “Excursion routes in Valmiera Region” and developing the idea of ”Cycling routes in Valmiera Region”.
Despite big challenges related to balancing the 2024 budget and planned activities in a way that covers all directions, this year will also be dynamic and filled with marketing, development, international tourism, entrepreneurship and tourism development activities. Information about all planned activities and news can be found in the portal visit.valmiera.lv.
Information prepared by: Toms Treimanis, Head of Valmiera Region Tourism Board, Mob. phone: +37128644530, visit.valmiera.lv