tourism competitiveness of Baltic States and it´s futurE Dr tourism competitiveness of Baltic States and it´s futurE Dr. Aija van der Steina University of Latvia Estonia – Latvia Business Forum Rīga, November 23, 2017

Competitiveness of Baltic states as tourist destination? Do we think more about the competitiveness of seperate countries – Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania? Do we think about Baltic Countries as one destination? What the tourists think and do? (Do we have the right data?) Is there and what is the image of tourist destination Baltics? What is done by tourist industry municipalities and governments (tourism product offer, marketing, etc.) What is the role of trans-border cooperation projects in boosting destination competitiveness?

Tourism Competitiveness of the Three baltic states 2007 (124) 2009 (133) 2011 (139) 2013 (140) 2015 (141) 2017 (136) Rank Score Latvia 53 4.31 48 51 4.36 4.43 4.01 54 4.0 Estonia 28 4.9 27 4.83 25 4.88 30 4.82 38 4.22 37 4.2 Lithuania 4.34 49 4.30 55 4.39 59 3.88 56 3.9 Score 1-7 (best) Rank of 14 pillars, 90 indicators Source: WEF. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.

Performance overview: Estonia Source: WEF. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.

Performance overview: Latvia Source: WEF. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.

Performance overview: Lithuania Source: WEF. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.

Summary of the weakest points: Natural Resources Index component Estonia Latvia Lithuania Rank Score Natural Resources 101 2.4 108 121 2.2 Number of World Heritage natural sites 86 Total known species 324 115 343 122 319 Total protected areas (% total territorial area) 52 20.7 65 18.2 71 16.8 Natural tourism digital demand (1-100) 110 2 114 119 1 Attractiveness of natural assets 82 4.9 85 95 4.4 Source: WEF. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.

Summary of the weakest points: cultural resources Index component Estonia Latvia Lithuania Rank Score Cultura Resources 78 1.6 98 1.4 87 1.5 Number of World Heritage cultural sites 75 2 55 4 Oral and intangible cultural heritage (number of expressions) 36 56 43 3 Cultural and entertainment tourism digital demand (0-100) 110 114 108 Sports stadiums (number of large stadiums) 119 Number of international associations meetings (3-yars average) 45 65.7 51 51.3 53 50.0 Source: WEF. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017.

Study on tourism Competitiveness of Latvia (2016) Sharing economy Tourism infrastructure and product development Tourism development in regions Branding and marketing MICE development Based on statistical data analysis Deep -interviews with the experts Focus groups with representatives of different tourism sectors Source: Domnīca «Certus» Tūrisma konkurētspējas ziņojums, 2016.

Development of tourism products and tourism infrastructure: Culture tourism Challenges and solutions Development of cultural tourism strategy and its implementation (all stakeholders, responsibilities, etc.); More active and effective collaboration between UNESCO offices in Baltic Countries + Finland (new sites and communication); Support programme for innovative cultural tourism product development and marketing (cros-border approach) Source: Domnīca «Certus» Tūrisma konkurētspējas ziņojums, 2016.

What could be the role of trans-border projects?

Good examples: idea → Implementation → Long term impact

Challenges How to measure long term impact? Project approach vs project sustainability and long term impact The main aim of project team is to reach the project goals The society expect long term impact Project limitations in time and territory Responsibilities after the project implementation phase? Funding (Who will pay?) Projects in tourism mostly solve just a part of the «bigger problem» in the destination Demand vs Supply side (target markets, tourist behaviour and actual demand, information sources) Importance of different partners from tourism value chain (Who will be responsible for development, marketing and sales?)

Challenges: Competitiveness Support for product development (based on cultural heritage and natural resources) is significant for competitiveness for all three Baltic States The competitiveness of the Baltic States as tourist destination will become more important issue (demand side) The common Baltic tourism development vision and strategy is needed Political leadership Joint branding and marketing (digital environment) Common offer for particular target markets

Thank you…