.riga

a new top-level domain

Applicant

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Alexander Schubert, permanently living in Riga since 2008, is the project manager for the dotRiga new TLD campaign. Born in September 1965 in Berlin, Germany, he has lived in Riga since the spring of 2006. Additionally, he has been involved in ICANN process since mid 2004 and co-founded the "dotBerlin GmbH & Co. Kg" in mid-2005, an organization that will apply for the proposed new TLD ".berlin" in 2011. He is also the founder of the .miami, .naples, and .florida campaigns.

Mission

The dotRiga domain name extension will create a powerful branding and public diplomacy tool for the city of Riga. Being used as a part of a region’s internal branding strategy, a geographic TLD like .riga is expected to create and support local identity for enterprises, institutions, and individuals and may result in a stronger sense of community.

Vision

With a population of over 1 million inhabitants and membership in the European Union, Riga, the capital city of Lativa, is an up-and-coming European city. The city boasts one of the largest industrial, economic and cultural centers of the Baltic States and includes a historic city center named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is also a tourist attraction and contains both a lively student and commercial atmosphere.

Advantages

• Marketing and Tourism: the city can better market itself globally as a tourist destination and business center by setting aside and managing names like hotels.riga and tours.riga.
• Center of Trust - By transforming itself into a trusted center for digital transactions, Riga will experience economic growth as people learn that transactions concluded under a .riga domain name have the resources of the city's municipal infrastructure assuring their fulfillment.
• Small Businesses and Organizations ¬- Local businesses and organizations will have access to short, descriptive, and memorable domain nam¬es facilitating their networking needs. Acquiring a good domain name has become a significant budget item.
• Domain Name Revenue - Fees for domain name sales and processing will remain in the city.