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Tourism Development in Riga: Resident Attitudes Toward Tourism

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Tourism in Transitions

Part of the book series: Geographies of Tourism and Global Change ((GTGC))

Abstract

This study analyses tourism development in Riga, the capital of Latvia . Riga is a tourist destination that was relatively unknown during the Soviet regime and is now becoming a popular international destination. The study reveals key tourism development trends as well as those features of the city that have highlighted the impact of the global economic crisis and the recovery since the country regained its independence. The goal of this research was to analyse the attitudes of local residents towards tourism including their perception of the impact of tourism in terms of how it has developed. In addition to drawing conclusions from collected data, this study has compared current results to those of a previous study that was carried out in Riga in 1998. The current research, carried out in 2012, surveyed 696 inhabitants of Riga. The survey included 36 positive and negative impact statements in regards to how residents perceive the impact of tourism on the economy, society, culture, and the urban environment . The study indicated that several internal and external macro factors have impacted tourism development in Riga in a relatively short period of time. These factors have led to significant quantitative and qualitative changes in the tourism sector. This paper discusses how the attitudes of residents have changed depending on factors such as economic dependence on tourism, place of residence, length of residence in Riga and the respondents’ age.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Business, Management and Economics, University of Latvia, Aspazijas Blvd. 5, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia

    Aija van der Steina

  2. Tourism and Hospitality Department, Turiba University, Graudu iela 68, Riga, LV-1058, Latvia

    Maija Rozite

Authors
  1. Aija van der Steina
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  2. Maija Rozite
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Correspondence to Aija van der Steina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Economic History, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

    Dieter K. Müller

  2. Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland

    Marek Więckowski

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van der Steina, A., Rozite, M. (2018). Tourism Development in Riga: Resident Attitudes Toward Tourism. In: Müller, D., Więckowski, M. (eds) Tourism in Transitions. Geographies of Tourism and Global Change. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64325-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64325-0_8

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-64325-0

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