At the General Assembly in Beijing, on 20 October 2003, Latvia was admitted to the World Tourism Organization. It sounded quiet beside the doors of NATO and the EU, already opening at the time, yet for tourism it was a map pinned to the wall: Latvia gained access to the organization’s programmes, statistics, seminars, and an international table where traveller flows, marketing, and destination reputation were discussed. Full membership began on 1 January 2005.

Latvia’s admission to the World Tourism Organization was part of the 2001–2010 tourism development programme, which sought to make the country more visible in the international travel market. It came at a transitional moment — only months before Latvia joined the European Union.