Why the Baltics would be a Good Travel Choice this Summer?
Are you looking for the safest destination this summer? Something that would make your clients feel comfortable and excited about their summer holiday abroad? Here are the reasons why the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are a good choice for visiting in the summer of 2020:
Away from the masses. The Baltic states are definitely not a mass-market tourism destination. Today, going to the hot spots that attract millions of tourists would not be a smart choice. It is better to look for less popular and less crowded yet still attractive destinations such as the Baltic states.
Small population. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are among the least populated countries in Europe, where even the capitals have less than a million people. This makes them an attractive destination for those willing to avoid crowds and travel outside major commercial travel routes.
Safe from COVID-19. From the start of the pandemic, the Baltic states have managed to stop the spread of coronavirus (today there are less than 4,000 cases in all three countries). They were among the first ones to start a staged exit from lockdown. Life and the travel industry are returning back to normal with the opening of restaurants and hotels and restarting of international flights and travel by land by the end of May. The first international flights to the Scandinavian capitals, Amsterdam and Frankfurt became available already from 18 May.
Vast unpopulated and green spaces. Did you know that the Baltic states are among the greenest places in the world, with forest covering roughly 40% of the land area? Just a short drive separates the charming Baltic capitals from unspoiled nature with dense forests, crystal clear lakes and seaside resorts with blue flag beaches and dunes. It is an ideal destination for those looking for a pristine nature with enough space to relax and enjoy their holidays for both guests and locals.
Good ecology. Green woods, small population and low industrial pollution makes the Baltics an eco-friendly destination with fresh air, good drinking water and excellent local products produced in an authentic way.
Easy and short flights. An average travel time of 1.5-3 hours in Europe and short time spent in the small airports with low passenger traffic make the Baltics a favourable choice for European travellers.
Good value for money. In this time when every penny counts, it is especially important to spend your money wisely, and you can do it without sacrificing the quality and comfort of your holiday. Despite the general growth of the economies (in 2018 Lithuania and Latvia were among Europe’s top 10 fastest growing economies), these countries also remain quite cheap with regard to local products, transportation, restaurants, etc. We speak not only about simple local restaurants and budget hotels. What about an outstanding gourmet experience? Or staying at brand new hotels with better services for the price of a mid-range restaurant and hotel in most Western European countries? All this, and more, is possible in the Baltic states.
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Our MICE team went to IBTM in Barcelona
Participation in the key tourism events has a high priority for our company. This November was time for IBTM in Barcelona – the leading global event for the meetings and events industry.
Our MICE team presented a variety of unique event scenarios and incentive in our 5 destinations – Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Moreover, we were happy to share what is new in the meeting industry in our destinations:
- Riga could be a venue for your next event: the largest in the Baltic States and ultra-modern convention center ATTA has been opened there recently. It can host large events with up to 3500 pax and offer you innovative services of a state-of-art convention center.
- Sustainability and Baltic Blues: we are going hand in hand with a concept of sustainability and invest in becoming a responsible travel company. Environmental charity projects, responsible travel behavior and operations, our staff participation in environmental protection – meet us to find out how to bring a concept of suitability to your business event with us.
Charity project of Baltic Blues Travel: 4 years of success
It‘s the fourth year in row that the tour operator Baltic blues Travel is launching to launch the annual project Beaver Ben Camps and addressing issues related to the negative impact of the travel industry on the planet. We decided to do this from the perspective that touches most of us – children, poverty and environmental protection.
The story started in 2015 when Marius and Olga, the owners of Baltic Blues, became parents. It is a truly transformational moment in every person’s life that encourages us to re-evaluate our values and motivates us to become a better person. Thus, becoming happy parents made them think about other children who are raised without the love of parents and suffer from poor living conditions. That’s why they decided to do something that any travel company can do the best — arranging awesome summer holidays for them.
“It’s something that they would never be able to experience without us!”
The first summer camps started in 2016 and now, four years later, we are proud of organizing 7 summer camps that have made 122 kids happy!
Most of these children came from orphanages and help centers for socially disadvantaged children: those living in poverty, having problems with education or social integration, and simply those who have never left their hometowns and never travelled in their lives.
Moreover, environmental issues are the other cornerstones of the project. The Beaver Ben camps take place in one of the most beautiful and fragile natural parks of Lithuania – the Curonian Spit, which lies between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. This unique place is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a live natural museum where long chains of white sand dunes, beaches and forests are home to a large number of rare birds and mammals.
This exceptional location is chosen for an important reason. The daily impact of tourism is a negative challenge to this natural park. Therefore, Baltic Blues feels responsibility to come up with an initiative to protect the beauty of the Curonian Spit. We do it by involving children and Baltic Blues staff into various activities, such as cleaning the shores of the Baltic Sea. In each camp, the children spend about 30 hours collecting waste in the beach and dunes.
In addition, at every camp the children spend about 20 hours learning about environmental protection. Professional youth workers prepare an active program with various workshops and discussions that aim to raise their awareness about ecological problems.
Beyond that, special attention is given to strengthening the social skills of the children. We noticed that their background makes them disadvantaged when it comes to social integration, dealing with negative emotions and self-control. Therefore, social workers are addressing this issue by involving them into team-building activities, group discussions and counseling.
Last but not the least, a part of the daily program is recreation and entertainment. And here we do our best to offer many exciting activities and to help children simply relax and enjoy their time by the sea. Trekking, excursions, visits to the museums, safari trips, sailing, sports and beach time – everything that would make a little person happy!
Beaver Ben Camps 2019:
Every year we learn from the experience and try to become better at what we do!
In 2019, Baltic Blues Travel organized two camps for 35 kids:
June 10-20: 16 children from the charity fund “Your opportunity” in Krekenave
June 20-30: 19 children from the charity fund “The light of hope” in Birzai
Their daily program was focused on four main blocks:
Environmental protection: this year children spent 60 hours cleaning the seashores and collecting 150 kg of waste!
Environmental education: kids took part in more than 20 hours of workshops and discussions – i.e. the danger of plastic, the role of birds, insects and mammals in the ecosystem, animals living in zoos and in the wild.
Building social competences: more than 20 hours were dedicated to team-building activities and discussions where kids could learn about positive and negative social behaviors, friendship and support, dealing with negative emotions, strengthening feed-back skills, etc.
Recreation: 30 hours of fun and exciting activities like trekking in dunes and forest, sailing along the coast, an excursion-safari around the Curonian Spit, a trip to the Hill of Witches, an excursion to the Sea Museum, a visit of the Thomas Mann museum, a big bubbles game, and of course swimming and sports games.
This charity project would not be possible without the help of our partners who contributed to Beaver Ben Camps 2019:
* KONTIKI, Switzerland
* Lauvas Turs, Latvia
* Ollex, Lithuania
* Kautra, Lithuania
* Mare Travel, Lithuania
The children and Baltic Blues would like to say a SPECIAL THANK YOU to them and invite other socially and environmentally responsible companies to join Beaver Ben camps next year!
We are happy to share the exciting activities, happy moments of the Beaver Ben Camps 2019 in our ANNUAL REPORT:
It is the leading global travel show and a key event for tourism professionals.