A pub and a nightclub in the Latvian capital Riga, which were ordered shut down recently for crimes committed against tourists, have apparently reopened under new names.
Observers fear that the old style of doing business is continuing in the establishments. The bar has changed its name three times after reports of blatant overcharging began to spread in English-language tourist guides.
A witness who went to the bar in late July says that the personnel is at least partly the same.
Two men leaving the pub were joined by women who asked them to join them in a nearby nightclub, which had been ordered closed by local authorities, but which has opened again under a new name.
The US Embassy in Latvia continues to warn Americans to avoid the two establishments.
Tourists have fallen victim to systematic credit card fraud and even outright robbery at certain establishments in the Latvian capital for the past two years.
The Latvian airline Air Baltic as well as the English-language Riga Tourist Guide have listed the clubs that tourists should steer clear of.
Finland has repeatedly demanded that crimes against tourists in Riga should be investigated. Helsingin Sanomat reported on the matter earlier in the year, spurring Latvian officials into action. President Valdis Zatlers demanded that action be taken to secure the safety of tourists.
“We are satisfied that Latvian officials have become active in the matter”, says Hannu Heinonen of the Finnish Embassy in Riga.
Finnish officials have received fewer reports about crimes targeting tourists this summer than last year.
