Maija ROZITE, University of Latvia, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Latvia
Aija VAN DER STEINA, University of Latvia, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Latvia
The main tourist district in the city centre of Riga already showed signs of overtourism in the pre-pandemic period. The local inhabitants’ negative attitude towards intensive tourist flows and tourists’ desire to discover more authentic places located off the beaten track led tourism developers to expand the tourist zone. A logical step was the expansion of the tourist area nearest to the city centre - Moscow Forstate, where one of the most popular attractions – the Central Market - is located. Tourist interest in exploring the area deeper increased following the opening of the Riga Ghetto and the Latvian Holocaust Museum in 2010. Not only did it reveal the gloomy past of the neighbourhood, but also highlighted public debate about these tragic historical events.
The aim of this empirical study is to assess tourism development in the city with a difficult historical heritage, and explore the main challenges and its development perspectives.
The research, based on a field study, identifies sites related to Jewish heritage and the Holocaust, and ascertains the tourism infrastructure and information accessible in the context of difficult heritage. Face to face interviews were conducted with residents living in the former Jewish ghetto area. In depth interviews were carried out with important stakeholders, such as municipality representatives, the local Jewish community and the Riga Ghetto Museum.
The research results reveal, that although a Jewish ghetto and other Holocaust associated sites exist, they are not marked in the urban public space. Despite having limited knowledge of historical events and dark sites, the locals support highlighting the information in the urban environment and information space. Urban environment development, growing numbers of museum visitors, increasing demand for guided tours, as well as initiatives of various memorial institutions show that this neighbourhood is also beginning to develop as a new tourist / recreational district.
Mots clés : urban tourism|tourist flows|difficult heritage|Holocaust sites|tourism development
A103926MR