held in Kipsala Exhibition Centre in Riga on February 5–7, 2010.

   

This year, thanks to ERAF project "Restoration of the Historic Centre of Ventspils for Tourism Development" financing, Ventspils can arrange a separate exhibition stand to better show city's varied tourism, culture and recreation offer for the year 2010 when Ventspils celebrates its 720th anniversary. The exhibition stand will resemble the newly-reconstructed Ventspils Market Square where Ventspils Museum, Olympic Centre "Ventspils", beer brewery "Užavas alus", gift salon "Ventiņ' pūrlād", SIA "Kurzemes filharmonija", several accommodation and tourism companies and Tourism Information Centre will present their goods and services.

 

Bell-tower music in the improvised Market Square will tell time every hour and herbalist Līga from Ventspils Crafts House will weigh and measure visitors using different units of measurement. Every visitor will get a "Man of Mark Card of Ventspils Market Square" entitling them to climb the bell-tower to swagger and crow about from the bottom of their hearts.

 

It is worth coming to Ventspils in the new tourism season. The reconstructed bridge over the River Venta will facilitate traffic and narrow-gauge railroad train (also called the Little Train) will run a much longer route from the Seaside Park to the Adventure Park. On their way, passengers will see replicas of historic train stations restored thanks to old photographs. Reaching the terminal in Saules Street, passengers will help to swing around the locomotive using a special device 'griezulis' to travel back to the Seaside Open Air Museum.

 

You will have a good time in Ventspils Adventure Park, Skiing Hill "Lemberga Hūte" and Water Amusement and SPA Complex of the reconstructed Ventspils Swimming Pool. In the latter, visitors can use children's pool, swim in the artificial wave pool, float down the 6-meter-high "Mountain River" along 53- and 56-meter-long slides, relax in SPA baths, the salt room or one of the numerous saunas and bathhouses (Turkish, steam). If it's too hot, jump in the cold pool or rub ice cubes all over your body.

 

The reconstructed Theatre House "Jūras vārti" in Ostgals offers a rich cultural programme with music, theatre and dance. You can attend concerts of classical and contemporary music, performances of the National Theatre, the Daile Theatre, the New Riga Theatre, etc. Wide technical possibilities (a transformable orchestra pit, changeable acoustic background and modern stage equipment) afford an opportunity to stage opera and ballet performances, as well. We will hear and see Verdi's masterpiece "La Traviata" in March, Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" in August and Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" at the end of 2010.                            

 

Ventspils Creativity Centre will open in the reconstructed building of Ventspils Latvian Society in autumn this year, offering visitors to attend a planetarium, a small cinema for 3-D projections and an observatory with a digital telescope for stargazing also by day.

 

Tourism Information Centre will offer Ventspils tourist map in Latvian, tourist booklets in Latvian, Russian and English, and a new product – Ventspils walking maps in 6 languages containing four different routes. This specially created map will help everyone get around the Old Town, the New Town, Ostgals and the seaside area on foot without a guide. The map includes a total of 101 tour stops.

 

Let's meet at the Ventspils exhibition stand!