Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program for Staff: Innovative Methods for Future Skills 2.0

13 - 17 May Valmiera, Latvia

On April 11th in Riga and April 12th in Valmiera, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences will host an international scientific conference "SOCIETY. TECHNOLOGIES. SOLUTIONS."

Its main theme, which will span both days of the event, is the study of the historical gross domestic product of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia over a period of 100 years, starting from 1920. Comparative GDP calculations for different regions of the Baltic States have also been conducted, and the researchers will introduce them to the public for the first time. However, the conference will also feature other reports, discussions, and activities to complement this main theme.

We invite you to participate in the conference in person by signing up at this link https://ej.uz/11_12_04_2024 or watch the live broadcast on Vidzeme University's social media accounts.

The conference program can be read at this link: PROGRAMME (pdf.)

Vidzemes University, the International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA), and the International Journal of Tourism Cities IJTC) are co-organizing the 10^th ITSA Biennial Conference in Riga, Latvia, 17-20, September 2024. The overall theme of the event is: “Bridging the Gaps in Tourism Knowledge and Practice: The  Future of Sustainable, Smart and Secure Tourism and Hospitality”. There are four sub-themes in Safety and Security, the New Traveller, the Circular Economy, and Urban Tourism Research.

“It is with pleasure and enthusiasm that we extend a warm invitation to the forthcoming 10th International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) Biennial Conference, a distinguished gathering that will convene in the charming capital of Latvia, Riga. As the third-largest city in Northern Europe, Riga provides an enchanting backdrop for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and insights in the dynamic field of tourism” (said Agita Livina, Professor, Vidzemes University and Conference Chair).

The conference will serve as a nexus for academia, industry professionals, and researchers to explore and deliberate upon pivotal themes shaping the contemporary tourism landscape. The overarching theme of the conference is intricately woven around three key dimensions: safety and security,  changes in traveler behavior, and  the imperative of circularity in tourism. These critical facets demand concerted attention from educators, researchers, and industry practitioners. Through collaborative efforts, the even aims to bridge the existing gaps in tourism knowledge and practice, propelling society toward a future marked by Sustainable, Smart, and Secure tourism and hospitality.

“ITSA is uniquely devoted to scholarly exchange between researchers and practitioners focusing on the growth of tourism worldwide. Founded in 2006 in Hangzhou, China, ITSA is an unincorporated charitable association based in London, UK. ITSA is committed to developing a worldwide tourism leadership forum that facilitates improvements in global hospitality and tourism. ITSA is unique among international associations of tourism scholars and practitioners. It has the mission to encourage interaction and cooperation between members in developing and developed countries” (Professor Cinà van Zyl, ITSA President, University of South Africa).

“The International Journal of Tourism Cities is the only academic journal exclusively dedicated to urban tourism research. A peer-reviewed journal, IJTC provides an international forum for the study of urban tourism and tourism cities. The journal aims to be inter-disciplinary in its appreciation of tourism cities and tourism in urban areas. IJTC has the highest rating of Q1 on the Scopus journal ranking system” (Professor J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak, IJTC Co-Editor-in-Chief). IJTC welcomes original, theoretically-informed articles from those involved in the planning, management or marketing of tourism in city destination or places adjoining urban areas. IJTC has four distinct purposes:

• To encourage greater research and scholarship related to tourism in urban settings.
• To stimulate more interdisciplinary research on tourism in cities, particularly the integration of tourism and urban studies theories and principles.
• To generate more research studies on tourism at the edge of cities, where urban and rural areas converge.
• To create more literature on best practices in city tourism worldwide through in-depth analyses and the production of exemplary case studies.

IJTC is the official journal of ITSA and is published in England by Emerald.

Around 250 participants are expected from the Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania), Scandinavia, other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and other countries. www.itsa2024.lv

More information: Alastair M. Morrison, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On April 11th, 2024, data on the historical GDP of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia over a period of 100 years starting from 1920, will be made public for the first time. Comparative GDP calculations for various regions within the Baltic States have also been conducted.

These and many other data on the demographics and agriculture of the Baltic States have been compiled into an interactive database, which will be accessible to all interested parties starting from April 11th.

Scientific leader of the project Gatis Krūmiņš, a lead researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, explains the main results of the research: "The result of an intensive work over a period of three years will allow us to look at the last 100 years of the Baltic States' history from a different perspective. It will be more based on facts than emotions. The results of our study will challenge some assumptions about the economic history of Latvia, such as the slowdown in economic development during the authoritarian regime of Kārlis Ulmanis, or the decline in production that began only after the restoration of the state independence in 1990-1991. The results of our study will help answer questions about when and how the development of our regions, especially Latgale, began. How the land use has changed and many other things."

On April 11th, a public event to present the results of the research project will take place at the EU House (28 Aspazijas Boulevard, Riga) from 14:00 to 16:00. Gatis Krūmiņš, Kaspars Osis (Associate Professor at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences), and Adomas Klimantas (Vilnius and Oxford University) will present the main results of the research work and the database created, followed by a panel discussion (participants: Viktors Valainis (Minister of Economics), Egils Levits (former President of the country), Ojārs Kehris (President of the Association of Economists and former Minister of Economics), Adomas Klimantas (PhD candidate at Oxford University), and Ola Honningdal Grytten (Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics); moderator – Pauls Raudseps).

The project "Quantitative Data on Social and Economic Transformations in Three Baltic States Regions Over the Past Hundred Years for the Analysis of Historical Transformations and Overcoming Future Challenges" (No. EEA-RESEARCH-174, 2021-2024) is one of the projects of the Baltic Research Program financially supported by the European Economic Area (EEA) grants.

The event will take place within the framework of the international scientific conference of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences SOCIETY. TECHNOLOGIES. SOLUTIONS, and will be broadcasted live.