English
The event devoted to the launch of the project “Improvement of Sailing Infrastructure and Building a Yacht Harbour Network in Estonia and Latvia (EST-LAT Harbours)” of the ERDF Interreg programme took place yesterday, October 17, at the Freeport of Riga Authority. Project partners from Latvia and Estonia, i.e. yachtsmen, representatives of responsible ministries and representatives of the tourism industry, were informed about project goals and anticipated results. The project “EST-LAT Harbours” is aimed at creating a single network of yacht harbours in Latvia and Estonia with high-quality services, which would allow developing sailing tourism and attracting foreign yachtsmen from Scandinavia and other countries. Within the framework of the project, it is planned to implement activities in two areas, namely, infrastructure of yacht harbours and development of services, as well as popularising of Latvia and Estonia as sailing destinations.
Opening the starting meeting of the project “EST-LAT Harbours”, Edgars Sūna, Marketing Director of the Freeport of Riga Authority, noted that involvement in the project “EST-LAT Harbours” would allow the Port of Riga to crucially improve the infrastructure of the Ķīpsala yacht harbours created on the left bank of the Daugava four years ago, thus increasing the competitiveness of the Port of Riga in the field of sailing tourism and organisation of large-scaled sailing competitions, as well as contributing to the potential growth of Riga tourism. However, the main benefit from the implementation of the project “EST-LAT Harbours” will be the development of the joint network of coastal harbours of Latvia, which will facilitate the development of sailing tourism in our country and promote an increase in the number of yachts in the Port of Riga.
The project “EST-LAT Harbours” is implemented by the Riga Planning Region in cooperation with the Kurzeme Planning Region and the Estonian Small Harbour Development Centre. The project involves partners from 10 Latvian harbours, i.e. Salacgrīva, Skulte, Riga, Jūrmala, Engure, Mērsrags, Roja, Ventspils, Pāvilosta and Liepāja, as well as 9 Estonian yacht harbours. Planned investments in the creation and popularising of a single network of yacht harbours in ten harbours in Latvia will amount to EUR 5.9M.
