A New Holiday Destination

What you can always be sure to find turning over the pages of glossy travel magazines, is the sweet scenes of tropical beaches, pictures of the pyramids and other wonders of the world… Meanwhile Lithuania has long been an ‘off-magazine’ country, hardly known to foreign travellers, unless they were curious enough to embark on a journey to the blank spaces of the map of popular travel destinations. However, with a speedily developing tourism industry since independence from the Soviets in early 1990’s, Lithuania can now enjoy the status of an offbeat destination and a growing popularity among both leisure and business travellers (well, the situation is paradoxical indeed).

According to a survey published in Sunday Times, Lithuania is among top-hundred summer destinations this year. The Lithuanian seaside has been ranked No. 22. Andrew Quested, the author of the article ‘Baltic Beauty’ in the Sunday Times supplement Travel described Lithuania as an alternative to the usual holiday destinations. Much space, huge sand dunes, untouched nature and local entertainments… The author invites for a relaxed holiday with an opportunity to try smoked fish bought from a local fisherman, stroll along the calm beaches, do some partying or enjoy the subtle atmosphere at local bars and cafés. Moreover, "the sun won’t fry you, and the Baltic Sea, filled as it is with low-salt glacial runoff, is mountain-stream cool and fresh. So you won’t go home looking like a cooked and salted prawn", the author points out.

Besides the seaside resort Palanga, health resorts in South Lithuania are also reviving. The number of tourists, both domestic and foreign, is growing too. During weekends, spas and hotels in Druskininkai become full of guests from major Lithuanian cities and foreign countries such as Germany, Russia, Israel and others.

Famous for their mineral waters and mud therapy, the resorts of Druskininkai and Birštonas boast modernized facilities and offer a selection of curative and wellness procedures using curative mud, mineral water, teas, inhalations, swimming-pools, etc. Recently, the biggest and the most modern Aqua Park in the Baltics has been opened in Druskininkai.

According to the statistics given by the Lithuanian Department of Tourism, in 2006 January – March, the number of foreign tourists in the mentioned Lithuanian resorts incresed by an average 8.6% when compared to the same period of the previous year.

Modern homesteads settled in the Lithuanian countryside invite for a laid-back holiday. At the moment, there are about 700 homesteads in Lithuania. They normally have all the facilities for everyday needs and can provide with quite a variety of leisure equipment, so holiday-makers can go to sauna, fishing, canoeing, off-roading, horse riding or skiing in winter.

Many homesteads are orienting towards hotel services. In addition to the mentioned services, they boast well-equipped conference rooms for business travellers who want to mix business with leisure and stay for a relaxed weekend in the countryside.

In Lithuania, countryside tourism started developing only several years ago, meanwhile in Western Europe it has a history of more than 35 years. However, the number of homesteads is steadily increasing in Lithuania, and the assortment of services as well as their quality is growing too.

Spending a weekend in the Lithuanian countryside is popular not only among native people, but foreigners as well Most foreign tourists come from Germany, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Sweden, Finland and Ireland. Guests from the USA and Africa are known to have spent some time in the Lithuanian countryside as well. In the last two years, the number of foreign visitors made an average 10% of the total number of visitors. Tourists are attracted by the romantic, authentic atmosphere, the Lithuanian culture and history. Moreover, the prices vary from €2.6 (₤1.6) for a night in the Dutch barn on a stack of hey to €58 (₤40) for a night in excellently equipped seaside homesteads. So there is a wide choice of homesteads for any budget.

Lithuania is often chosen by foreigners as a weekend party destination. The capital Vilnius bustling with nightclubs and pubs to party the night away has proved to be ideal for stag and hen parties.

In general, the growing interest in Lithuania and its growth as a foreign tourist destination may be associated with the changes in its political life after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its current state as a member of the EU (and thus active exchange of ideas and participation in international events), the ingenuity and creativity of local business people, informational technologies, that have greatly encouraged foreign tourist awareness of our country, and finally, the treasures and resources Lithuania has.