Valka to close its Tourist Information Office as part of municipal savings

The council of Valka municipality in northern Latvia voted on 29 October, by a majority of deputies, to reorganise its Development, Projects and Tourism Department. As a result, the Tourist Information Office at Seminara Street 1 in Valka, next to the Latvian–Estonian border, will close in a month. The decision stems from the municipality's financial stabilisation process, which includes cutting administrative posts.

Impact on staff and events

The department's senior tourism specialist, Laura Krastina, will lose her post. She speaks Latvian, Estonian, Russian and English. She had long worked alone at the office, because a second specialist position was never filled due to low pay. In recent years she organised the Valka–Valga Great Charity Border Market, held in early May, and the Christmas market. A working group will be set up to organise both events, and the office's functions will pass to the Valka municipality Culture Centre. The Estonian side closed its own tourist information office a couple of years ago, so Estonians often visited the Latvian one.

Opposition objections

Opposition deputy Agnis Birkavs urged the council not to rush and to examine the issue in detail in committees, noting that not all deputies attended Monday's meeting. Deputy Dainis Lapins voiced concern that a knowledgeable young specialist might leave the municipality.

The council chairman's explanation

Council chairman Vents Armands Krauklis said the financial optimisation plan had to include at least a few initiatives and that these two posts affect residents least. He said the Ministry of Finance and the State Audit Office require further cuts in administrative posts. The saving, including salaries and taxes, is about three thousand euros, which he called significant at a time when cultural events are being cancelled to fund repairs. He acknowledged the decision is not good in the long term, since promoting tourism is important, and said other posts will be discussed at upcoming meetings. Krauklis hopes Krastina will remain a municipal employee, as there are several long-standing vacancies.