We were glad to read in UK's "Daily Mail" that birch juice is conquering the world as one of the top health drinks. Read here.

Living in the country where there is no shortage of birch trees Latvians has collected and drunk birch sap for centuries. When you drive around Latvia in April, it is a common sight as in the photo here. The hand written signes along the roads that fresh birch sap available for purchase are also common.

From 3th till 6th of December in a new Erasmus + project: ''FairTourism - CSR in Rural Tourism – Guidelines and Training Programme developed in HEI Business Cooperationkick''  kick off meeting was held in Riga, Latvia.

On the 2nd and 3rd of October, the “PESTO” conference took place in Graz (Austria) and the project TransCSR (Transparency of CSR skills through ECVET in European tourism) was presented by the lead applicant kate. 
PESTO stands for Promotion and networking of EU projects on sustainable tourism. The conference had been organized by the network E.N.T.E.R, which aims at transferring and exploiting EU Project Results. 

Together with European partners we have started a new EU project. The aim is to research and analyse senior travellers' market, to establish their needs and wishes and to make realistic and practical products based on the findings. The idea is also to incourage international cooperation between product providers and senior organization in order to introduce established products into market.

Go Rural is a manual of rural tourism in Latvia for tourists as well as travel professionals.

In this brochure we try to show Latvia through its best products and people who produce and grow them. We bring out rural feeling and places where you could go and relax as if visiting your grandma in the countryside. Fruits and vegetables in the gardens are available for your own picking.

Several tours are ideal for families with children. During these tours children can see and learn from where the food is coming, feed and pat some farm animals and enjoy nature.

In our tours we bring out the typical Latvian taste providing various tasting opportunities at the farms, country houses, local pubs and restaurants. We have several food and drink tours for groups. There are also crafts tours which allows to learn some useful skills.

Using our many years' experience we also organize professional agro tours and provide consultation about rural tourism.

See electronic version here.

''Lauku ceļotājs'' have created a handbook and online training platform for rural tourism businesses - „Your Rural Tourism Business - Run it Smart”.

Latvian Country Tourism Association is a partner in the project „Corporate Social Responsibility Training'',  where partners from Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Crotia and Greec have gathered, to apply in their home countries Travelife Sustainability System for Tour Operators & Travel Agencies, with aim to rise awarnese of tourism impact, manage and improve social and environmental actions by complying with the sustainability criteria, as well as to support effective measures, trainings and consultations. More information about Travelife system can be found here http://www.travelife.info/ Press release about project updates can be found here!

Atveriet projekta lapu jaunā logā

On the 17^th and 18^th of June, the University College of Birmingham (England) have hosted the 9 partners of the EU project TransCSR (Transparency of CSR skills through ECVET in European tourism, EC Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation (DE/13/LLP-LdV/TOI/147659)) in order to plan the next steps of this Life Long Learning project.

Summer is always a busy time for all sorts of events taking place across Latvia. Here is our selected events. Maybe you can find one near your holiday place. 

Please find our Spring Newsletter here .

In this issue: 

• Time to enjoy countryside goodies!
• Selected Accommodation with eco-label Green Certificate
• Self-drive tours: 

Visiting Castles and Baronial Estates, 7 days, Latvia & Estonia

Walking Nature Trails, 7 days, Latvia & Estonia

• Cycling tours:

Along the Baltic Sea to the Curonian Spit, 13 days, Latvia & Lithuania

Along the National Parks and Islands, 17 days, Latvia & Estonia

• Our maps and guide books.