Tourism development strategy of Valmiera city and surrounding area (Valmiera+)

4 neighboring municipalities, located in the Gauja National Park tourism destination, elaborated a common tourism development strategy to raise competitiveness of a unified tourism destination on a regional and national level. The network is strengthened by combining the stakeholders’ creativity with know-how of destination management, active communication and coordination, targeted strategic long-term vision with a consolidation of resources to obtain a higher competitiveness compared to other destinations that work individually.
The strategy is implemented based on inter-municipality agreement with a dedicated budget. The activities include marketing, web page maintenance, travel promotion and common events. They are targeted to nearest foreign markets and national tourists, so the smallest municipalities can gain visibility through common offers with Valmiera city which is the main attraction. One of the strategic directions is developing public events that benefit the whole territory.
Stakeholders are involved on a voluntary base. Management and coordination of Valmiera+ is performed by an advisory board. Main stakeholders are Valmiera city and 3 surrounding municipalities, tourism SMEs, relevant state institutions, NGOs and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences that ensure a triple-helix approach.
Creating a common destination helps to increase the overall competitiveness of each site. It is perceived as one destination with all the elements of a tourism system.