The information was translated using the ChatGPT service.
In the Cabinet of Ministers meeting on August 22 of this year, a new EU fund support program was approved to support tourism industry entrepreneurs so that Latvian micro, small, and medium-sized entrepreneurs could develop new tourism products or services with higher added value, thus promoting the growth of the tourism sector's export capacity and increasing its competitiveness on an international scale.
"The development of the tourism industry is evaluated in the context of increasing the overall export volume of Latvia, which means diversifying Latvia's tourism offer, increasing inbound tourism flow, and encouraging travelers to stay in Latvia longer. For each individual tourism service provider, it's challenging to attract foreign tourists. The development of a competitive tourism product and the opportunity to implement marketing and publicity activities are more complex. Competitive, yet cooperation and common-goal-oriented, public-private partnership networks have proven their effectiveness and ability to achieve greater competitiveness in international markets," emphasizes Minister of Economics Ilze Indriksone.
Initially, within the framework of the support program, the Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) will provide consultations to potential project applicants on cooperation network strategy and action plan development, promoting the establishment of cooperation network approaches in the tourism sector and the development of new tourism products. Throughout the program's implementation period, LIAA will organize networking events for cooperation networks and their members and will include some of the tourism products in Latvia's tourism marketing strategy activities in the coming years.
Later, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFLA) will organize an open project application selection to allocate EU fund support to cooperation networks. Within the project, the cooperation network will be able to involve cooperation partners who will participate in the development and enhancement of the tourism product.
Cooperation networks will be able to receive support in the form of a grant (with support intensity up to 95%) for the development of new tourism products and their introduction to the market. The cooperation network and its members will also be able to receive non-financial support from LIAA in the form of networking, conferences, and training. Support will be provided to geographical (regional) cooperation networks and thematic cooperation networks.
Thematic cooperation networks combine entrepreneurs across the territory of Latvia and specialize in one of the types of tourism. Within the framework of thematic cooperation networks, support will be given to no more than one cooperation network in each of the highly prioritized tourism types - business tourism; health tourism; culture and creative industries tourism; nature tourism.
On the other hand, geographical (regional) cooperation networks are formed in a specific territory and combine representatives from various sectors: tourist accommodations, public catering service providers, event organizers, tourism operators, transport service providers, or other entrepreneurs who are included in any of the tourism products.
A month before submitting the project application, the project applicant must submit a cooperation network strategy to LIAA for evaluation. The agency will evaluate the submitted cooperation network strategy and will provide conceptual proposals for its improvement, if any arise.
Cooperation networks will be able to receive support for research or studies related to tourism product development, evolution, or the development of a type of tourism, the development of new tourism products, including testing, product piloting, and certification, the purchase of research and knowledge dissemination organization services related to tourism product development, and the organization of industry-specific practical and thematic training. Support will also be available for visits to foreign partners, commercial cooperation promotion events, including participation in international conferences and exhibitions, experience exchange, and knowledge transfer events in Latvia and abroad, participation in international competitions aimed at promoting the cooperation network and its members, cooperation network products and services, the type of tourism or promoting Latvia as a tourism destination, as well as promoting the recognition of the cooperation network and its members, cooperation network products and services, the type of tourism, or Latvia as a tourism destination. At the same time, support will also be available for marketing and publicity activities, participation in international cooperation platforms and organizations, as well as project management and the provision of mandatory publicity events.
The total funding of the support program is 6,439,834 euros. It is planned that 8 cooperation networks will be selected and supported within the program - 4 thematic cooperation networks and 4 geographical cooperation networks, promoting the creation of 20 new tourism products.
The conditions of the support program are included in the draft regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers "European Union Cohesion Policy Program for 2021-2027, Priority Direction 1.2. "Support for Entrepreneurship" 1.2.3. specific support goal "Promote sustainable growth, competitiveness, and job creation in SMEs, including through productive investments" 1.2.3.6. event "Tourism Product Development Program", which can be examined in detail on the Legal Acts portal.