EU – Baltic States, Forum, Good for Business, Latvia, Tourism

BC's photo.

The Latvian Minister for Environment and Regional Development, Kaspars Gerhards, will hand the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas certificate, to Juris Jatnieks, Director General of the Nature Conservation Agency, in a ceremony on February 1.

Good practices in cooperation between national parks and businesses will be presented during the event, and business representatives will speak about the business development opportunities in the protected areas.

Through awarding the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas, EUROPARC seeks to safeguard cultural and natural values by stimulating quality sustainable tourism, engendering partnerships to support local livelihoods, increase awareness of the need for sustainability, and promote international cooperation.

The Kemeri National Park was first awarded the certificate in 2012 but the compliance with the charter has to be re-evaluated every five years.

The Kemeri National Park was founded in 1997. With the area of more than 38,000 hectares, it is the third largest national park in Latvia and the only territory in Latvia that has been awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas.