British embassy warns tourists in Latvia: think before you drink

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.

'With the rising number of (British) visitors, there has, inevitably, been an increase in the number of consular cases which this embassy has had to handle,' Ambassador Ian Bond told the media.

'Having analysed the kinds of problems which British visitors were experiencing - and, yes, in some cases, causing - we decided to take action to try to reduce the number of these problems,' he said.

The campaign, which was coordinated with local police and tourist information services, advises British visitors to Latvia to act sensibly during their stay.

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.

Since joining the EU in 2004, Latvia has seen an immense boom in tourist figures. The number of British visitors alone jumped from 20,000 in 2002 to over 85,000 in 2006, Bond said.

But in the last year an increasing number of reports have surfaced of foreign visitors to Riga being swindled, intimidated and even beaten up in nightclubs.

At the same time, the local media have reported an increasing number of incidents of antisocial behaviour by foreigners. Last year, for example, a British man was arrested for urinating on the Freedom Monument - the most revered spot in Riga - on Remembrance Day.

'In 2006, out of 4.5 million visitors, tourists reported 840 cases in which they had been victims. Over the same period, eight criminal cases were launched against tourists, and 50 fines were imposed,' said Ints Kuzis, head of Riga's criminal police.

'Two of the criminal cases involved Britons,' he added.

Officials were at pains to point out that the problem of tourist safety and behaviour - or misbehaviour - is not confined to Riga. Embassies across Europe are dealing with similar issues, Bond said.

The issue is of particular concern in Riga, however. The city boasts a picturesque old town and a UNESCO-registered art-nouveau quarter, and aspires to become a destination for cultural tourism.

But a combination of relatively cheap alcohol, a reputation for beautiful women and a wave of advertising for strip clubs and massage parlours which has only recently been curbed have combined to give it an image as a hub of the sex trade.

'The myth of Riga as a sex capital plays a role. It often becomes clear that tourists who are attracted to such services believe that all women in Latvia can be easily exploited,' Kuzis said.