RSSAdult Playground Proposed
Mar 31
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In an attempt to appease local residents and to ensure the safety of foreign visitors, the Riga mayor said Sunday he wants to construct a district designed specifically for Western tourists.
Located on the western bank of the Daugava river, the new district will feature a multi-purpose sports facility, several night clubs, public restrooms, and a brothel, according to the plans drafted from a tourism board of the mayor’s office.
A miniature version of the Old City and the Freedom Monument are planned as well. According to the mayor, a large fast-food corporation expressed an interest in a construction of a fast-food restaurant in the district.
“No tourist would be allowed to leave the area without proper authorization,” said mayor Janis Birks. “Likewise, no city resident would be able to enter the complex without proper authorization. That way, they won’t get beaten and they won’t defile our landmarks.”
Russian tourists would be banned from using the complex, according to the preliminary plans.
The city fathers say the cost for the construction is estimated at 100 million lats, but they say, the complex will pay for itself within a couple of years from admission fees, overpriced beverages, and taxes collected on brothel services.
The city would also offer medical services for girls working in the brothels. In turn, tourists will be able to safely enjoy party lifestyle without worrying about consequences.
“We’ll call this a tourist playground,” Birks said.
Tourists visiting this Baltic nation have suffered from being swindled, intimidated, and even beaten in nightclubs. At the same time, many in local media reported that some tourists display anti-social behavior. Earlier this year, a British tourist was charged with hooliganism for urinating near the Freedom Monument.
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.
‘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.
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