As incomes rose in the UK in the 1990′s and into this decade, so the expectations of husbands-to-be grew for their stag party celebrations.

Low cost flights changed party planning from the local pub and club with alcohol and girls to a bar or club with alcohol and girls in Spain, Greece and Cyprus.

In fact, such was the demand for stag parties abroad that a niche travel industry has sprung up, specialising in making sure the long weekend turned out to be all the groom and his friends expected it to be.

The areas in Europe that benefitted most from the high spending alcohol fuelled weekends include Barcelona, Cyprus, Tenerife and Ibiza. New areas that sprung up as top pre wediing party destinations included Latvia and Estonia.

The bad news for these areas and the companies who get a share of the stag weekends abroad business from the UK is that the credit crunch is changing where stag parties are being held – and it’s not abroad as much as it was before talk of a recession came about.

Five years ago an amazing 58 per cent of pre wedding parties were abroad. This year that has dropped by more than two thirds to just 16 per cent.

And the shift away from long weekends abroad to long weekends at home has seen London rise to be favourite destination for the party-goers, followed by Manchester and Newcastle, with each party-goer spending an average of 370 Sterling (around US $’s 740).

With the number of traditional family holidays abroad also likely to be down from the UK this year, some areas are bound to feel the economic winds that are blowing through the European travel industry, but oddly some of the previously popular stag party destinations seem to be doing well – perhaps it’s now the married couples with their children from the last decade who are returning to where they enjoyed their last holiday while single!

Cyprus for example did have a good June with an 8 per cent increase in visitors compared to June 2007, but that was after four successive months of falling tourist arrivals.

And Tenerife is on course to beat 2007′s tourist arrivals, with May figures this year showing a 20 per cent jump on the 2007 figures.

Los Cristianos, previously a small fishing village, is now one of the largest resorts on the island and favoured by some of the stag parties. Located in the southern part of the island, it is home to mass-market tourism. The architectural feel of the resort town is very typical Canarian. The town centre is never crowded with vehicles, as the entire area is pedestrian only. Both small and large boats share the large port. A wide array of boats can often be seen docking or parked in the bay. The resort has two large beaches and lots of cafes, restaurants, bars and shops to choose from.

Puerto de la Cruz, another favourite for stag weekends, is a large tourist resort on the northern part of the island. It is a mere 10 minute drive across beautiful countryside from La Oratava. The Puerto de la Cruz resort began as a port for La Oratava and the export of bananas from nearby plantations. La Oratava, Esperanza forest and Mount Teide offer amazing views from the variety of hotels in Puerto de la Cruz. Due to its volcanic origins, black sand beaches offer a very unique beach experience. It is not recommended that you swim in the ocean on the northern side of the island, especially in the small hours of the morning after a heavy drinking session, as there is no reef to protect the shores from harsh tides and sweeping currents. Instead, Puerto de la Cruz has a large open-air seawater swimming pool called ‘Lago de Martianez.’

But whether Cyprus and Tenerife ride out the travel downturn successfully or not, there will be clubs and bars on both islands who would welcome a new wave of stag parties!

With 800 years of experience, there are few cities that can boast the atmosphere that Riga offers for stag parties. A vibrant, modern city with a special love of music, Riga offers a blend of adrenaline-raising activities and heart-pumping night life that make stag parties in Riga the sort that you’re still talking about years later. The Old Town in Riga boasts clubs, live music, DJs, casinos and bars that cover the spectrum from posh to dodgy. And if shopping is part of your agenda, Riga’s city market is the largest in the world.

Shopping on a stag weekend? Stag parties in Riga find some unusual things to do, and shopping is one of them. The City Market is housed under four enormous renovated zeppelin hangars, and is a great place to test your Stag’s mettle in the face of the local ‘scenery’. It’s just a few minutes walk from Old Town Riga, where dozens of pubs and bars offer an excellent venue for a Riga stag parties pub crawl. If you’re not certain of the best watering holes in the city – and who’d expect a bunch of tourists out on a holiday stag jaunt to know? – you can turn the planning over to a tour organizer that specialises in arranging activities for stag parties in Riga.

One Riga stag parties activity that you won’t find in many other cities is an afternoon of – bob-sledding. Hurtling down an icy bobsleigh track at speeds approaching blurring, with no brakes to slow your downward descent – is there a better metaphor for the journey your mate is about to embark than that? Other daytime activities for stag parties in Riga include paintball, quad biking, off road karting and… wait for it.. bungee jumping! Let your stag literally take the plunge before he jumps off the cliffs into married life, eh?

Stag parties in Riga really hit their stride in the evenings, though, with dozens of clubs and music venues that offer a taste of every entertainment imaginable. Hit the nightclubs with a guide, or rent out a limousine for a bangup start to your night with a lapdance limo ride. If you make your arrangements in advance, you can end up your pub crawl in one of Riga’s lap dancing and strip clubs for a night of ogling the best girl flesh that Eastern Europe has to offer.

Bobsleighing in Riga is just one example of a fun stag parties activity that a professional tour operator can help you arrange. If you’re looking for more unique ideas for stag parties in Riga or any other city, contact Chillisauce.co.uk, a tour operator that specialises in unique and unusual stag nights, bachelor parties and stag weekends.