Together with tourism entrepreneurs and municipal representatives from Latvia, as well as project team from Vidzeme and NGO “Apeirons”, on 4 – 5 June 2025 we visited Estonia to take part in two events devoted to accessibility in tourism and culture.
On 4 June, at the Culture Centre in Rouge, an international forum “Accessibility in Tourism” took place. Lectors from Latvia and Estonia shared their experience with practical accessibility solutions to improve access to tourism and leisure activities and universal design examples, including Alise Lūse, project manager from Kurzeme Planning Region, Jānis Urtāns from the Space Educational Centre in Cēsis and Mari Puuram – project accessibility expert from EPIK, Estonia. Forum online visitors highligthed the importance of access solutions at tourism sites and museums for people with hearing impairment. Forum participants also discussed about the travelling options and challenges for persons with functional impairments at nature and culture objects here in Latvia and Estonia, as well as more exotic destinations abroad, by listening to exciting stories of two travellers from Estonia, both travelling in wheelchairs and bravely overcoming different obstacles.
Next day participants went to Tammistu Manor near Tartu, where the first Accessibility Days event took place – there are few more Accessibility Days events planned in the project with the aim to promote accesisble routes and objects and sites improved in the project. Within this Accessibility Days’ event participants, mainly, discussed accessibility challenges related to cultural heritage and cultural events – creating symbiosis and handing over both, good and not that good practice, between the already finished cultural events by Tartu as the European Capital of Culture to Liepāja as the upcoming European Capital of Culture 2027, with a great opportunity to learn from and get inspiration to provide better acces for all. In the end of the day several panel discussions and workshops were held focusing on route development and improvement of access to services and information.
Both events are part of the #AccessRoutes project and are being implemented with the support of the Interreg Estonia – Latvia Programme 2021-2027 .
Infomation prepared by:
Project Leader in Kurzeme Planning Region
Alise Lūse
Tālrunis: 26567874, alise.luse@kurzemesregions.lv
