Gauja National Park awarded with European Charter for Sustainable Tourism certificate

The certificate was received by the Nature Conservation Agency (the agency) and the GNP tourism association Enter Gauja, which in close cooperation undertake to continue promoting tourism while balancing nature protection goals with the interests of local community and economic development. The certificate will give companies operating in GNP the opportunity to attract new customers and to build partnerships with entrepreneurs and organisations abroad.

At the ceremonial event, the agency’s Director General Laura Anteina stated: “We are honoured to receive this certificate, which confirms that sustainable tourism is not only a concept, but our attitude towards nature, people, and the place where we live and work. Gauja National Park is the largest national park in Latvia and one of the most notable nature tourism destinations. Cooperation with the association Enter Gauja ensures a stable foundation for its sustainable development also in the future.”

Meanwhile, the Enter Gauja association’s Marketing and Communications Specialist Kristīne Luca emphasised at the moment of receiving the award: “We will use the EUROPARC Charter to learn and adapt best practices for developing sustainable tourism. We will continue to build new, professional cooperation with other European protected nature areas. We express gratitude to everyone who is involved in the development of sustainable tourism in Gauja National Park – tourism entrepreneurs, residents, the agency, the university, municipalities, and colleagues.”

This year at the ceremony, 24 specially protected nature areas in Europe were honoured for their commitment to promoting sustainable tourism. Six areas, including GNP, received the Charter certificate for the first time, while 18 – again. Such a certificate has been received altogether by 93 areas in 13 European countries. Many of them have worked towards this achievement for several years, confirming close cooperation and long-term commitment to implementing responsible tourism practices. In Latvia until now, only Ķemeri National Park had received the Charter certificate and successfully renewed it several times.

For GNP to receive the Charter certificate, an evaluation visit took place in GNP during which an expert from the EUROPARC Federation met with GNP local tourism entrepreneurs, representatives of the GNP tourism association, the agency, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, and the Bioregion in Gauja National Park.

The evaluation commission positively assessed the GNP nature protection plan and praised the strong cooperation between the agency, the association Enter Gauja, tourism entrepreneurs, and Vidzeme University, highlighting it as the main driving force of sustainable tourism development. Also positively evaluated was the willingness of the association Enter Gauja to maintain a tourism forum in which many tourism entrepreneurs actively participate and cooperate with each other in the long term.

Certification as a sustainable tourism destination is an internationally recognised instrument that helps improve cooperation between local communities and management institutions, promotes well-considered tourism development, strengthens the local economy, and protects natural and cultural values. The Charter also provides an opportunity to learn from other European protected regions and strengthens the territory’s image as a responsible and high-quality tourism destination.

GNP was founded on 14 September 1973 with the aim of protecting the unique natural values of the Gauja River valley and its surroundings, while at the same time ensuring recreation and nature protection functions within the territory. This year GNP also marks the 30th anniversary since joining the EUROPARC Federation. The history of tourism in the territory of GNP has long-standing traditions, and therefore today the national park contains a strong and close network of tourism and hospitality service providers.

The EUROPARC Federation certification for Gauja National Park was implemented in the Gauja National Park Tourism Association’s project “Gauja National Park sustainable tourism destination EnterGauja+” 1.2.3.6/2/24/A/008.

Additional information:

Ilze Reinika,
Head of the Communication and Design Department of the Nature Conservation Agency
Phone, e-mail: 26421296 ilze.reinika@daba.gov.lv

http://www.daba.gov.lv http://www.tiekamiesdaba.lv

Kristīne Luca,
Marketing and Communications Specialist of the Gauja National Park Tourism Association
Phone: 28658900 info@entergauja.com