New Year is a major event in Latvia. New Year in Latvia is celebrated with pomp and show. A good number of New Year parties are organized in Latvia. New Year in Latvia is also an important event for tourists coming to Latvia. They take part in the different rituals, practices and also go for New Year cruises and tours.
Most visits to Latvia are trouble-free.
There have been reports of increased petty theft and robbery, including pickpocketing. There have also been reports of drinks being spiked in establishments and tourists being charged extortionate prices for drinks or having fraudulent transactions debited against credit/debit cards.
Latvia lies at the crossroads where east meets west on the shores of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of 2003, the population of Latvia stood at just under two and a half million and its territory covered 64 589 km².