The Hope for Latvia Blog
Tourism and Trade: A hope for Latvia?
I was talking to an acquaintance the other about my work for Hope For Latvia and she was fascinated to hear about what we do. She had no idea about the poverty some people face in the country. She often visited Riga for work purposes and therefore her perception of the country was gained from the towering architecture and vibrant culture the city does offer to unsuspecting visitors. This got me thinking, for the average visitor to Latvia, what its their view of the country; especially Riga? Tourist sites describe Riga as having a "beautiful city centre full of cobbled courtyards and turn-of-the-century vistas that will take your breath away..and its streets boast some of the best examples of Art Nouveau"(1) However, more famously, Riga boasts a thriving night life which attracts stag do's from all over Europe. It is brilliant that Riga's tourism is increasing due to it becoming an exciting new holiday destination; but I wonder how many of these new visitors realize that 1 in 5 Latvians live below the poverty line, approximately 480 000 people. This is a huge proportion of the population, the equivalent in the UK would be around 13 million people. Would people still find it attractive...if this poverty wasn't hidden behind a screen of popular travel culture? Lets hope that tourism and trade can partner to bring change to the situation of many families in Latvia.
(1) http://www.travelsavvy-riga.com/
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