The Suiti land

The Suiti are a community with among the most colourful and unique cultural traditions in Kurzeme and Latvia.  This was confirmed on October 1, 2009, when the cultural territory of the Suiti was included in the UNESCO list of global intangible cultural heritage, thus indicating that the traditions must be preserved.  The Suiti territory is also on the list of folk traditions that is part of the Latvian Cultural Canon.  Manifestations of this intangible cultural heritage include traditional festivals, habits, oral traditions, traditional singing and musical skills, folk costumes and culinary traditions.  Since 2009, the Suiti community has been undergoing a renaissance, with people actively working to restore traditions and ensure their sustainability and promotion at the local, national and international level.  The survival of the cultural territory is in the hands of the Suiti themselves, and this is closely linked to the practices and the creativity of community representatives.  The Suiti believe the development of tourism in their area to be of great importance in this.  This means emphasising a niche in cultural tourism that is based on the broader promotion of the unique cultural heritage of the Suiti.