Balttour 2012 opens new tourist season in February

‘"Balttour" is going to surprise both professionals and travel enthusiasts with a very special atmosphere, a vast range of travel deals, special prices, great discounts and lotteries, as well as with an extensive three-day programme of events taking up both themed halls "Travel Latvia!" and "Discover the World",’ the president of the Association of Latvian Travel Agents Kitija Gitendorfa told..

"Balttour 2012" will present 255 participant stands to introduce products and services of 650 tourism companies from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkey, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, Italy, Japan, Spain, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. At least 38 national tourist agencies, hotels, transport companies and other tourism-related companies will take part in the travel fair as part of national collective representation or individual participants. The expected attendance figure of “Balttour 2012” – more than 30,000 visitors.

Discount travel deals

“Balttour 2012” will offer an opportunity to buy flight or ferry tickets and travel packages to sought-after and yet unheard destinations and to book Latvian guesthouses, campsites and saunas for the further half of the year at very special prices!

Discover the world

"Balttour 2012" will introduce yet unheard of destinations! Visitors are welcome to meet people from the oldest continent and be inspired to discover Africa – the land of extreme contrasts Ethiopia, the home of cocoa Ghana and the oil-rich Nigeria!

The Ghanaians promise to surprise audience with drum beating, dancing, glass-eating, mystical music, comic etudes and African power show.

Russian Tourism Industry Association will have its first official representation at “Balttour 2012” to introduce Russia’s biggest tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, spas, sanatoriums, transport and insurance companies and the mass media.

Crimea is one of the most beautiful places of our planet thus named as "The World in a Miniature" or "The Museum under the Open Sky", and during “Balttour 2012” is going to tell about its famous spa resorts and medical services.

Travel Latvia!

The hall "Travel Latvia!" will be as a hostess welcoming every visitor and telling about Latvia. Latvia at “Balttour 2012” will be represented by its four regions – Latgale, Vidzeme, Zemgale, Kurzeme – offering travel and recreation opportunities, products and crafts, ecological and homemade foods. Latvian castles, hotels and recreation centres are coming with their special offers, too.

"Vasals Latgolā!" – people of the Land of Blue Lakes might greet you if you visit the stand of Latgale – more colourful, more attractive and twice as big as a year before!

During “Balttour 2012”, nineteen local municipalities of Latgale in conjoint with Utena in Lithuania, Vitebsk in Belarus and Pskov Region in Russia will present quite a number of tourism opportunities, cultural heritage, beautiful nature and famous people of Latgale.

Ogre and Ikskile County Tourism Development Agency invites to see and examine an authentic German APC Sd.kfz 251, a real witness of the World War II, and to enjoy the atmosphere of resort of the 1920/30s. Visitors will have an opportunity to put themselves in a panzergrenadier’s shoes, to inspect the APC from inside and outside and to be taken on a photo. The History and Art Museum of Ogre will give the visitors an opportunity of sending historical postcards.

Aluksne county Tourist Information Centre is going to present five new tourist routes – "Oh, this wonderful country life!", "Castles and manors", "Recent past", "Beauty of nature" and "Enchantment of borderland".

Tiny tots will enjoy visiting the Rabbit Town to see variety and cuddle its inhabitants.

This is just a brief insight into the participants’ offer. Read more: www.balttour.lv

"Balttour 2012" to Business

To promote cooperation between Russia and the Baltic states in tourism, the Balttour 2012 Introductory Event – Balttour 2012 Forum. Focus – Russia is to be held at Kipsala International Exhibition Centre in Riga, Latvia, on 9 February 2012.Read more: forum.balttour.lv

 The International Travel Trade Fair "Balttour 2012" is organized by the Association of Latvian Travel Agents (ALTA) with the support of International Exhibition Company BT 1.

Additional information:
Aiga Kupre-Vociša, "Balttour" public relations project manager, Tel.: (+371) 26591588, e-mail: aiga.vocisa@balttour.lv
  
Astrīda Trupovniece, ALTA Executive, Tel.: (+371) 67210065, e-mail: alta@alta.net.lv
  
Inese Libere, media coordinator, Tel.: (+371) 29450037, e-mail: inese.libere@bt1.lv