Brits returning to Riga, says ambassador

Britain's ambassador to Riga has said that his compatriots are returning to the Latvian capital in increasing numbers, after a downturn in the wake of the credit crunch.

Ambassador Andrew Soper told Latvia's State News Agency (LETA) that about 100,000 British tourists visited Latvia last year.

"Latvia is now quite well advertised as a tourist destination in the UK," he said.

Latvian police have recently completed a successful crackdown on cowboys operating in bars and nightclubs. The tricksters had been cheating foreigners out of considerable sums of money.

Nevertheless, the ambassador admitted that not every British tourist is an innocent lamb.

There is a very small number who do get in trouble here, Soper acknowledged.

And that is unfortunate and regrettable, he said, adding that the Latvian police handle such matters very well."

Soper noted that there are lot of English speaking police, there is a special tourism department and information centers have been established.