LLI-10 Introducing nature tourism for all (UniGreen)

Project Duration: 01.05.2017 - 31.10.2019

Project ERDF Financing: 1000337,07 EUR

Project call: 1st call

The overall objective of the UniGreen project was to facilitate sustainable tourism development in border regions of Latvia and Lithuania by stabilizing and increasing of the number of visitors and number of overnight stays.

In order to achieve the goal – to facilitate the growth of the tourism flow for up to 10% and number of overnight stays for up to 7% during 5 years, the following activities were implemented:

(1) development of tourism products and services more accessible for all kinds of travelers, including appropriate promotion activities;

(2) facilitation of nature object management by increasing awareness about nature values like wetlands having European level significance as important bio tops for local and migrating birds including endangered species (7 lakes, 2 rivers as well as system of ponds covered by project);

(3) supporting local business and development of qualitative living and working environment for different social groups, including persons with disabilities on an equal level.

The key focus of UniGreen was on development of new tourism products and their promotion in order to identify the project territory as joint destination for incoming tourism and network of nature-based one-day destinations for the local market.

Over the 2,5 years’ project implementation period (05.2017-10.2019) in Kurzeme and the border regions of Lithuania a number of walking trails equipped with various edutainment elements, resting areas and playgrounds were constructed, 2 watching towers built, a viewing platform reconstructed, 4 pontoon piers installed, the Trail Guidebook in LV, LT and ENG languages with more than 80 trails in Kurzeme and North Lithuania published, QR codes with audio material prepared for more than 20 nature objects , training of nature guides in Latvia and Lithuania carried out, a comprehensive hiking campaign “Tako Kurzemē” and “Takais per Lietuva” organised, as well as many other activities done for the development of nature tourism and facilitation of the accessibility of nature objects. The overall financing of the project was 1 176 867,14 EUR, i.a. ERAF financing 1 000 337,07 EUR.

The uniqueness of the project was in pursuing the accessibility to nature objects for travelers with disabilities.

The Guidebook in LV, LT and ENG of nature trails can be downloaded here: https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/sagatavots-dabas-taku-celvedis/

Online info on trails in LV and ENG and trails’ GPX files are available here: https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/en/projects/tourism/unigreen/nature-trails/

Guidelines in LV and LT on how to adapt the trails and the tourism infrastructure, products & services to people with disabilities are availabe here: https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/pieejamas-vadlinijas-turisma-infrastrukturas-produktu-un-pakalpojumu-pielagosanai-cilvekiem-ar-ipasam-vajadzibam/

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Social media and contacts:
Phone: +371 67331492
E-mail: pasts@kurzemesregions.lv
Website: www.kurzemesregions.lv
Address: 4a Valguma Street, Riga, Latvia (Administration office)

17 March 2020

10 nature tourism objects developed in Lithuania and Kurzeme

The new Usma Elkrags nature trail, walking paths along the River Venta in Skrunda and Kuldīga, wooden boardwalk in Roja beach, as well as the Nature Trails Guidebook and two new watching towers – on the coast of Lake Durbe and Sātiņi ponds – all this have been created as part of the project Nature Tourism to All, which lasted for 2,5 years and had been implemented by Kurzeme Planning Region together with 6 municipalities in Kurzeme and 4 partners in Lithuania.

20 nature trails in Kurzeme have got QR codes with trail audio records

To increase the nature accessibility, Kurzeme Planning Region has recorded trail descriptions for 20 nature sites in whole Kurzeme in LV and ENG languages to inform the visitors on trail distance, objects of interest, access options etc.

Guidelines on how to adapt the tourism infrastructure, products and services to people with disabilities

To enhance the understanding, skills and knowledge of municipalities, entrepreneurs and other administrators of nature territories on accesibility and provision of tourism products and services, Kurzeme Planning Region together with the organisation “Apeirons” has developed an illustrative and practical material on how to adapt the tourism infrastructure, products and services for people with disabilities.

An essential project activity – nature guides’ training – has finished

26 Kurzeme nature guides have successfully finished the nature guides’ training course and received certificates by Kurzeme Planning Region and the Nature Guides’ Association of Latvia.

On 22-24 November the final – sixth Kurzeme nature guides’ training session took place in Pope, Ventspils County. The key topic of the session was the promotion of nature events and organisation of nature interpretation exhibitions. Nature guides presented their homeworks on designing tourism brochures and guiding self-developed excursions. During the session, the guides also worked on practical tasks in groups to design their vision on a new nature exhibition to be installed at Roja Sea Fishing Museum.

In the end of the session the 26 nature guides who successfully finished the training course received certificates issued by Kurzeme Planning Region and the Nature Guides’ Association of Latvia. The course participants admitted that the course has been extremely important both, because of the comprehensive training content targeted to enhance the theoretical knowledge on nature interpretation, as well as to develop the practical skills allowing to step out of one’s ordinary routine and stimulate the hidden talents, imagination and ideas. The most valuable result, undoubtedly, is the group of the guides itself, which have all became good friends and have already started to cooperate, discuss topical tourism issues, exchange views and continue networking already beyond the scope of this project. We are really grateful both, for the contribution of the lecturers and dedication of the guides and wish many, many achievements in their further work in applying the knowledge and skills acquired during the course to improve their excursions and to develop new and creative nature tourism products.

The training has been organised by Kurzeme Planning Region in cooperation with the Nature Guides’ Association of Latvia as part of the UniGreen project No. LLI-010 under the Interreg Latvia-Lithuania Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2014-2020. The training ran from October 2017 till November 2018 with 6 training sessions (each 3 days long) in Kurzeme and a practical training visit to Lithuania (2 days). The overall length of the training programme was 160 hours.

Nature guides’ training goes on!

The selected nature guides’ training group continues it’s training. The guides met on 18-20 January in Dundaga to participate at the second training session and on 22-24 March in Liepāja to hold it’s third training session already.

Launching of the nature guides’ training and opening of the walking trail in Skrunda

Last week, on 10 November, with a solemn event and symbolic ribbon-cutting, the new walking trail in Skrunda was opened, and the nature guides’ training launched, with a first three-days training session in Kuldīga.

Atklāj pastaigu taku Skrundā un uzsāk vides gidu apmācības

Pagājšnedēļ, 10.novembrī, ar svinīgu pasākumu un lentas griešanu tika atklāta jaunā pastaigu taka Skrundā un uzsāktas vides gidu apmācības, ar pirmo trīs dienu apmācību sesiju Kuldīgā.

Project launching press release

Thanks to nature diversity, landscapes, clean and safe environment, the border regions of Latvia and Lithuania inhere good potential for the development of nature toursim. In order to use it for fostering the development of boder regions, including the development of entrepreneurship, this year in May the Kurzeme Planning Region in cooperation with seven municipalities of Kurzeme region and Lithuania and three national and regional parks of Lithuania has commenced a project for the development of sustainable tourism in Kurzeme and the border regions of Lithuania to increase the number of visitors and overnight stays in regions.

UniGreen International Conference “Accessible Nature Tourism” in Lithuania

UniGreen starptautiskā konference “Dabas tūrisma pieejamība” Lietuvā

UniGreen organises a conference on facilitating nature tourism accessibility

On 19-20 October 2017 in Lithuania, at the Plateliai Culture Center, UniGreen organises the Conference “Accessible Nature Tourism”.

SKATINS GAMTINIO TURIZMO PLĖTRĄ IR PRIEINAMUMĄ ŽMONĖMS SU NEGALIA

SKATINS GAMTINIO TURIZMO PLĖTRĄ IR PRIEINAMUMĄ ŽMONĖMS SU NEGALIA

Dėl gamtinės įvairovės, kraštovaizdžio, švarios ir saugios aplinkos, Latvijos ir Lietuvos pasienio regionai turi palankų potencialą gamtinio tourizmo plėtrai. Norint jį išnaudoti skatinant pasienio regionų plėtrą, įskaitant verslumo plėtrą, šių metų gegužės menėsį Kuržemės planavimo regionas Latvijoje, bendradarbiaudamas su septyniomis savivaldybės iš Kuržemės regiono ir Lietuvos, ir trimis nacionaliniais ir regioniniais parkais Lietuvoje pradėjo vykdyti projektą, skirtą plėtoti tvarų turizmą Latvijos ir Lietuvos pasienio regionuose, siekiant padidinti lankytojų ir apsistojančių nakvynei skaičių regionuose.

Veicinās dabas tūrisma attīstību un pieejamību cilvēkiem ar īpašām vajadzībām

UniGreen projekta uzsākšanas preses relīze

Pateicoties dabas daudzveidībai, ainavām, tīrai un drošai videi, Latvijas un Lietuvas pierobežas reģioniem raksturīgs labs tūrisma attīstības potenciāls. Lai to izmantotu pierobežas reģionu attīstības veicināšanai, t.sk. uzņēmējdarbības attīstībai, šā gada maijā Kurzemes plānošanas reģions sadarbībā ar septiņām Kurzemes reģiona un Lietuvas pašvaldībām un trīs Lietuvas nacionālajiem un reģionālajiem parkiem, ir uzsācis projekta īstenošanu, lai sekmētu ilgtspējīgu tūrisma attīstību Kurzemē un Lietuvas pierobežas reģionos, palielinot apmeklētāju un nakšņošanas skaitu reģionos.

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Partners structure

Kurzeme planning region

17. September 2019

Konference: Dabas un kultūras mantojums tūrismā - identitāte un pieejamība

Tals, Latvia

11. April - 12 April 2019

UniGreen Project Management Meeting 4

Plateliai, Lithuania

10 nature tourism objects developed in:

Lithuania – the new city leisure park in Kretinga – Jaurykla park, the wooden boardwalk in Kirkilai nature reserve in Biržai Regional Park, 4 pontoon piers with paths and resting areas in Aukštaitija National Park and a reconstructed viewing platform on the coast of Lake Plateliai in Žemaitija National Park

Kurzeme – the new Usma Elkrags nature trail, walking paths along the River Venta in Skrunda and Kuldīga, wooden boardwalk in Roja beach and two new watching towers – on the coast of Lake Durbe and Sātiņi ponds in Saldus.

In adddition, the Nature Trails Guidebook, which features more than 80 routes for nature trails in Kurzeme and North Lithuania, has been compiled and is available printed at all Tourism information centres in Kurzeme and North Lithuania and electronically at https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/sagatavots-dabas-taku-celvedis/.

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