Museums and local history centres promote and integrate fishing cultural heritage into tourism

Carnikava Municipality with 8700 inhabitants located on the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic sea has established and finances Local History Centre (Centre) since 2010. The aim of Centre is to keep and promote rich coastal fishing cultural heritage and traditions – historic trade of the local community. The center has multiple functions: it keeps history and fishing traditions museum, carries out research of history of local municipality, implements different eduactional programms for local community involving all age groups, younger generation including. It is also a venue for events and gatherings for inhabitants, weddings, workshops and other activities. The museum also keeps contacts and interacts with similar museums aiming at experience exchange and development as well as is involved in different EU projects related to protection and promotion local cultural heritage, coastal fishing tradition including. In its activities the Centre involves local fishermen and community and uses historic trade of lamprey catching and cooking knowledge to implement events and create tourism products and activities. The Centre is a key element on creating activities for attracting tourists and building marketing of municipality to visitors based on the coaslta fishing heritage. Main stakeholders are museum specialists, development and tourism specialists, culture event organizers, fishermen and their families, tourists, local entrepreneurs (processing, souvenirs).