Riga Rooster

The 24th Latvian Song and 14th Dance Festival officially begins July 5, 2008 and will continue until July 12th.

Participating in the 24th Latvian Song and 14th Dance Festival will be 38,233 people, including 18,464 choir singers and 13,317 dancers.

The Song Festival's origins can be traced back to the first half of the 1800s in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

The Celebration is held every four (4) years.

Copyright (c) 2008, Patricia Tourist Office Riga www.rigaLatvia.net

Version II

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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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Again another complaint about taxis overcharging in Riga. This has been an ongoing issue with no apparent action from the city or state government as long as I have been living here since 1999.

Do taxis overcharge?

DO chickens click, do fish swim, do roosters crow?

Silly you, of course Taxis overcharge everywhere in the world.

The issue here is does anyone care. Not in Latvia.

The really only honest taxi company in Riga is the company that operates RED Renaults and small Ford cars. www.rtp.lv

But, rumor has it that city council is about to make a very stupid decision and either replace the RED taxi company at the airport with the "not so good" company or add the "not so good company" and let the buyer beware. The decision is due to be made 9 April.

All we can do it try to make our voice heard; but, no confidence on my part that anyone cares.

From StandBy News - 14 May 2007, www.standbynews.info


Prices at hotels and restaurants in Latvia up 42% since April 2004

According to the Latvian Central Statistical Bureau, the services of hotels and restaurants in April were 17.5% more expensive on average compared to April 2006. Since Latvia joined the European Union, the prices for catering and hotel services have climbed rapidly – compared to April 2004, prices have increased by 42%.

Dienas Bizness, 2007-05-11