Project No. C034
On 24 March 2026, the Tourism Entrepreneurs Conference took place in Liepāja at the “Great Amber” Concert Hall, bringing together tourism professionals from across the Kurzeme region to discuss sector development, current trends, and future opportunities. The event was organised במסגרת Liepāja 2027 – European Capital of Culture and served as a platform for knowledge exchange, strengthening partnerships, and fostering new ideas.
Kurzeme Planning Region was represented at the conference by Project Managers Aija Neilande and Anna Elizabete Upsava. Aija Neilande provided an overview of the region’s activities and ongoing tourism initiatives, while Anna Elizabete Upsava presented the outcomes of the “Light in the Dark” project and introduced practical tools designed to support the development of off-season tourism products.
In her presentation, Aija Neilande emphasised the role of Kurzeme Planning Region in advancing tourism development, noting that in 2026 the organisation plans to continue implementing 28 projects across key areas relevant to the region. Within the tourism sector, nine projects were highlighted, focusing on infrastructure development, strengthening the knowledge and skills of entrepreneurs, and improving accessibility for diverse target groups. She also underlined the importance of international cooperation and the role of projects in introducing innovative solutions that enhance the region’s competitiveness.
Anna Elizabete Upsava, in turn, provided a more in-depth insight into the “Light in the Dark” project, highlighting its practical approach to off-season tourism development. The project includes extensive international research into off-season traveller behaviour, revealing that demand is largely driven by a desire for tranquillity, authentic experiences, and meaningful time spent in nature.
Based on these insights, off-season tourism products were co-created with entrepreneurs and tested in real-life conditions. In total, 25 products were developed, of which 15 were piloted, involving 195 visitors from multiple countries. The results demonstrate that a well-structured and high-quality offer is attractive regardless of seasonality, and that visitors are willing both to book such experiences and to recommend them to others.
A key added value of the project lies in the practical tools developed to help entrepreneurs transform ideas into viable tourism products:
- a digital guide (handbook) for structured product development;
- an AI-powered idea generation tool for creating tailored offers;
- practical examples and pilot results to support informed decision-making.
All project tools and additional information are available here:
https://lightinthedarkbsr.eu/
Beta version of the AI idea generator:
https://lightinthedark.bojaco.com/
Overall, the conference confirmed that off-season tourism is becoming an increasingly important direction, where data-driven insights, practical tools, and collaboration among stakeholders play a crucial role. The experience of Kurzeme Planning Region in this field provides concrete solutions that support the development of sustainable and competitive tourism products throughout the year.
Project “Light in the Dark”
Light in the Dark is an Interreg Baltic Sea Region project aimed at developing innovative experiences to extend and create new seasons beyond the traditional summer season. The Challenge Inventory survey is conducted in all participating countries: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It is aimed at SME’s in the Northern Baltic Sea region and explores the interest of small and medium-sized businesses in expanding their operations beyond the traditional summer season as well as the challenges they face regarding seasonal variations in tourist flows.
More about the project: https://www.kurzemesregions.lv/en/projects/tourism/light-in-the-dark/
Project manager:
Anna Elizabete Upsava
+371 26369876
anna.upsava@kurzemesregions.lv
