About

Summary

Tourism information systems are essential for the collection and processing of data, and informing stakeholders on all aspects of the tourism sector.  By doing this, they enable decisions to be made based on fact rather than conjecture.  This study commissioned by the European Union assessed the existing collection and organisation of tourism information in Latvia, and proposed a national system that would provide all the regional tourism information offices with up-to-date information on the sector.

Our Approach

We met with personnel in the Latvian Tourism Information Offices to understand what data was being collected and what was needed, and also to find out how the regional information offices shared data, and how they reported to the national office in Riga.  Based on these findings, and our extensive experience reviewing and designing information systems in other countries, we provided the client with a detailed assessment and a proposed way forward to develop a system that would benefit all stakeholders in the sector.  This included recommendations on software and hardware, as well as an action plan for implementation.

Outcome

A central database system was proposed, with regional offices being connected to it via the Internet.  Both the public and private sectors would have access to the system, and a hierarchy of privileges would be set up to determine access levels of various information.  Investment in new computer and communications equipment for the Latvia Tourist Board was recommended, as well as a training programme for staff in all of the offices to ensure that the effectiveness and efficiency of the system would be maintained.