Riga works on luring more business tourists

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Riga is interested in organizing conferences and corporate events, as the visitors to these tend to spend close to €1,000 each day, Vita Jermoloviča, head of the Riga Tourism Development Bureau, told Latvian Radio 4 Thursday.

This has been a very successful year for the Latvian capital, as more than 2 million guests visited Riga, which is a 7.8% increase on year, said Jermoloviča.

According to her, most of the visitors come from Germany while Russians rank second, having once again started to visit the country.

She said that European tourists tend to be more frugal, even though they do spend on shopping, souvenirs and restaurants. According to 2014 data, Europeans tend to spend about €140 a day in Riga while Russian guests spend about €500 daily. 

"Tourists from Russia, from the east, are of course more generous," she said.

Marketing and different projects, including international sports, political and cultural events, play a great role in developing tourism.

Over 500 journalists from across the globe will come to Riga, and the city is working on its information portal and cooperating with toruism agencies abroad.

Next year, said Jermoloviča, Riga will focus on showcasing its gastronomical offerings - restaurants, cafes, and ecological products.

Currently the city, which has advantages in that it's small but offering quality hotels and restaurants on the cheap, wants to attract business tourists. 

People who come here for conferences or corporate events spend a little below €1,000 each day. That's why the Latvian capital is being advertised as a place for such events.

"Of course, our infrastructure is not welcoming for large-scale events. Nonetheless, we are advertising small conferences and corporate events," said the head of the Riga Tourism Development Bureau.

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