RunRaRo

Summary of the project

The European Commission has suspended the cooperation with the Russian Federation within this Programme and participation of Russian beneficiaries in project implementation is suspended as well.

The municipalities of Rundāle, Rauna (Latvia) and State budget cultural institution of the Leningrad region “Park Agency” (Russia) use the potential of cultural heritage to contribute to sustainable tourism development and increase attractiveness of the Programme area for visitors.

The project aims to consolidate the capacities of the tourism sector players by creating new tourism offers to ensure attractiveness of non-mainstream tourist destinations in Vidzeme, Zemgale and Leningrad regions.

The project beneficiaries anticipate that their joint activities – restoration of historical sites in Latvia and Russia reinforced by the soft activates will stimulate economic vitality and attractiveness of the programme territories. The project components include

Improvement of infrastructure and purchase of equipment to set up favourable conditions for the new joint tourism offer development:

• reconstruction of Mežotne Church in Rundale;
• conservation of inner walls of the medieval Rauna Castle;
• improvements of accessibility of Prioratsky Park and Demidovy Manor in Gatchina.

Joint business support activities “Be smart and active” encompass business forum, focus groups, training course for tourism service providers, conference and various marketing activities. These activities will help to create a unique joint cross-border tourism product – “Time travel”.

“Time travel” is a set of cultural tourism pilot and promotional events, including

• development of mobile guides for tourist objects with augmented reality elements;
• organization of 2 medieval re-enactment festivals in Mezotne Hillfort (Rundale) and Rauna castle and 1 culinary heritage Festival in Gatchina.