Riga Rooster

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The Riga Rooster was talking about this possibility over a year ago. He pecked that unless the Latvian Tourism Authorities begin to take action to improve the image of Latvia abroad this situation might occur. And it appears that it has according to the latest Business News in Latvia last week.

Hotels being sold off in Riga
As market tightens, older hotels are being abandoned

From www.Standbynews.info Monday 30 June 2008

Latvia’s hotel industry is experiencing a crisis, according to this article, and three hotels in Riga have been put up for sale. After Latvia’s accession to the European Union in 2004, the number of hotels in the city and its outer district grew considerably, a trend that accelerated also due to the World Ice Hockey Championships in 2005. Last year, 5.234 million foreigners crossed Latvia’s border. But in the first quarter of 2008, the number of tourists in Latvia decreased y-o-y for the first time since 2004. At the end of 2007, 400 places of accommodation were available in Latvia. Meanwhile, eight new hotels have been unveiled in Riga so far this year, for example, the Reval Hotel Elizabete and the Nordic Hotel Bellevue. The Atlantija Hotel, which first opened in the Soviet period, will be auctioned off in October. These days the building resembels nothing more than a run-down hostel. It is also possible that the 3-star, 68-room Bruninieks Hotel will be sold too.

Biznes&Baltija, 2008-06-27

The Rooster's last thoughts...

The statistics on the number of people crossing the borders is very misleading and not representative of tourism. Many of the border crossings are from Latvia's neighbors just swinging across for a short visit, to have lunch and maybe even stay overnight. But, that is NOT tourism and these visitors do not contribute many NEW MONEY into the tourism economy.

Our guess of statistics for numbers of nigh stay is that it has decreased from around 3.8 nights in 2003 to about 1.8 nights in 2007/2008.

Most of the foreign visitors are those that choose to come, live cheaply and drink their pockets empty. Most of these monies don't find the pockets of the tourism providers either. They line the paper bags of the clever few that have found a way to make a killing from the drinkers stumbling off/on the Ryan Air and other lowcost flights.

Shame on the Latvian Transport Minister and the other leaders of Latvias Tourism and Police sectors for NOT making a plan as the first Ryan Air flight touched down. There is still no plan and only action being done is chasing the drunks around the freedom Monument to stop peeing on the monument and to have them pull up their pants.

SHAME on Latvia's leadership , this rooster crows loudly.

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Hear Hear !!!!! its about time, says the Rooster!


News article:
http://www.standbynews.info/7182.0.html?&tx_standbynews_pi1[showUid]=31413&cHash=7ac85694f2

“Suppress the drunken hoodlums!”
Riga mayor orders police chief to bring order to Old Riga

A drunken Brit who punched a city policeman has managed to annoy even the usually calm mayor of Riga, Janis Birks. Riga Municipal Police Chief Janis Gedusevs has been told to “bring
order in Old Riga”. "It is alarming that an increasingly large number of foreign citizens ignore any kind of limitations, disrespect the rules and have no respect for other people.

Now, by attacking a policeman, they have gone beyond all bounds," Birks said. According to research cited by this article in the Russian-language daily Vesti Segodnja, out of 2.5 million tourists who visit Riga each year, more than 270,000 come to the city with the intention to fight. Latvia has the image of a country with cheap drinks, wayward girls and impunity, the article continues.

Tourists urinating by the Freedom Monument have been punished only by fines. The author of the article suggests putting the nasty people behind bars instead.

Vesti Segodnja, 2008-06-17

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Is British drinking out of control? Last Updated: 12:46PM BST 19/05/2008

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/yourview/1987415/Is-British-drinking-out-of-control.html


More than 500 people a day were admitted to hospitals in England last year after drinking too much, according to official figures.

Are British drinkers ignorant amount the amount they drink? Will the new advertisements encourage you to reduce the amount you drink?

Is the only solution to binge drinking to make alcohol more expensive and less readily available? Should the Government be targeting young binge drinkers rather than older, middle classes wine lovers?

Is British drinking out of control?

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It seems that a UK couple from Northern Ireland were in Portgual on holidy awith their three (3) children.

They simply passed out from too much drinking leaving the small children without supervision.

The children were removed by the police for their safety.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7383623.stm

Much like the Binge Drinking that many (not all) from the UK do when they visit Riga.

I have to question if there is something wrong in the society that many need to be twiked a little?

What do you think?

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No wonder the British boys coming to Riga do what they do, it's quite common practice in their homeland and even practiced by the Royal family heirs.

If you haven't read about their recent weekend trip to the Isle of Wight, read the article linked below.

And they got their by no leass than a joy ride on a Royal Air Force Chinook helicopter.

I won't bore you with my writing, I will simply post the link to an excellent article written in the Daily Mail Newspaper - William, a helicopter - and this risk to the monarchy
00:10am 17th April 2008

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=560178&in_page_id=1772&in_author_id=244

Its a great article and I encourage you all to read it.

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Sorry, a pun intended indead after reading the recent Letter to the Editor of the Baltic Times Newspaper, http://www.baltictimes.com/letter_to_the_editor/

18 April: Authority without responsibility

Apr 18, 2007
The Earl of Carlisle Patron, The Baltic Council of Great Britain

I write to apologize to the Latvian nation, her president and to the citizens of Riga for the disgraceful and inexcusable misconduct of a small, but also growing number of British subjects who have desecrated your Freedom Monument and abused your hospitality.

Having arranged a sister monument in St. Saviour’s Church in Riga, with the agreement of your Church of State, to honor the 112 British sailors and airmen killed in action in Latvia and Estonia’s War of Independence, I fully sympathize with you and well understand your irritation and contempt for those from my country who have disgraced us and themselves in your capital city for whose freedom our sailors’ blood was shed 88 years ago.

I am also displeased that the current British ambassador has neither publicly apologized nor set in motion a workable plan to prevent a reoccurence of such an outrage. I detect arrogance and indifference.

We learn that His Excellency will place beer mats, on which will be written exhortations, in the open-air hostelries in Riga urging British tourists to conduct themselves with decorum whilst in Riga. An insult to bona-fide tourists and a provocation to louts.

What is to be done? How to do it?

Try this tale. It is true. In Tallinn, three years ago, I observed a group of my fellow countrymen behaving in an untoward fashion. I courteously but firmly remonstrated with them with good effect.

Later I met with the Defense Attache from Britain to Riga and Tallinn. I enquired, “First Dublin, then Prague, now Tallinn and Riga. What is your answer to this little local difficulty?”

He replied, “On Friday afternoon, in summer, I remove my uniform. I don civilian clothes. I make my way to the places in Riga where the young men have congregated. I say to them, ‘Good afternoon, gentlemen. Welcome to Riga. I see that you are enjoying yourselves. I feel that I should introduce myself since I am the person on duty at the British Embassy this weekend. Should anything untoward befall you, I am the person summoned to assist. I wish you a happy visit and for myself a good night’s rest. Any questions? Gent-lemen.’”

I suggest that the Lieutenant Colonel has showed far more leadership, firmness, tact and common sense than His Excellency with his beer mats.

The continent of Europe was plagued for nearly two decades by a minority of British football fans who disgraced themselves, their nation and their football clubs in the cities of Europe. Lives were lost. An untold amount of damage was done to people and property, as well as to Britain’s reputation.

Action was taken at government level. National and regional police forces through Interpol, working with football clubs and travel agencies largely solved the problem.
The miscreants were punished. Some lost their jobs, had their passports confiscated, were blacklisted, ended up in custody and missed their flights home.

I suggest that this is the correct way forward. It requires coordination. Our diplomatic service has to play a role here.

I write at Eastertide. Should the British Ambassador to Riga have attended divine service at St. Saviour’s Church, Riga, he would have observed the consecrated and not desecrated memorial to the British sailors who contributed to Latvian independence with their lives.

He would have also heard the tale, should he have chosen to listen, of the Roman procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate who, 2,000 years ago “washed his hands” of a matter which he found too difficult, and walked away.

I apologize again to the citizens of Riga. On this occasion for the British ambassador who has vested in him the authority but neglects to assume the responsibility to take timely and effective action to rid Riga of this pestilence.

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I continue to be amazed at the rubbish coming from the authorities about the bad manners that the UK and Irish boys exhibit during their stay in Riga.

From my vantage point high over Riga, I see all the boys who visit the city for the cheep bear and late night howels. They must think I am sleeping; but I arise to crow about the same time they stagger back to their hotels leaving behind the content of their nights drink in piles and streams along the street.

Take for example, todays announcement that the British Embassy has produced a set of beer mug coasters with slogans on them on how to behave properly when in public in Riga.

And the Riga Rooster quotes "Mar 15, 2007, 13:07 GMT Riga - The British Embassy in Riga launched on Thursday a campaign designed to both increase the safety of British tourists there and implore them to respect local culture and attitudes. Leaflets and beer mats issued as part of the campaign contain such practical advice as 'guard your belongings against pickpockets,' 'do not take your passport out with you,' and 'keep your credit card and PIN safe.'

They also tell tourists not to 'use loud or abusive language' and to 'remember the details of your hotel accommodation.' Police and diplomatic sources agree that the advice addresses genuine problems.

Some tourists with problems to report have been unable to remember the name of their hotel, the name of places they visited and even the names of other members of their group, sources say. "

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/uk/news/article_1277780.php/British_embassy_warns_tourists_in_Latvia_think_before_you_drink


According to history, British has a very long history of peeing in public..
Quote from "Childhood, Manners & Bodily Functions in Elizabethan London"
http://fascinatinghistory.blogspot.com/2005/06/childhood-manners-bodily-functions-in.html


"Apparently public pissing (yes, this is the actual word the Elizabethans used) was widespread (one assumes amongst men), to such an extent that when the Mercers' livery company let one of their properties, they included a clause that the tenant must prevent "naughty persons annoying our cellar by way of pissing in at the windows".


so why try and stop it now says the Head Rooster? Let the beer flow... they must say old chap!


What ever happened to the traditions of British going abroad to expand their horizons.

From the New Zealand blog the Rooster again quotes" Manners - The rituals and manners of polite society – from table etiquette to social observances such as weddings – largely derived from English precedents. The view that emotional excesses should be repressed also, arguably, has its roots in the English adage to keep a ‘stiff upper lip’".
http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/NewZealandPeoples/English/13/en


So the Riga Rooster guesses that it is that long history of tradition that keeps the boys doing what boys do.

Perhaps a better solution would be to issue one of the following for each lad as they arrive at the Riga airport.





Wonder what would happen if I would take an early morning flight and rain on their parade home... he he he he

The Riga Rooster crows...