Since 2003 when Lithuania became a member of UNWTO and joined the EU the following year, the tourism sector has been fast developing. At the sixteenth UNWTO General Assembly in Dakar (2005), Lithuania was singled out as an active and up-and-coming country.
In cooperation with UNWTO, Lithuania takes part in the organisation of various projects, seminars, and conferences which have to do with the future of tourism in Europe and Lithuania. A cognitive tour organized for journalists from all over the world the same year received a lot of attention. As a result, there appeared articles where Lithuania was presented as a country with a huge tourism industry potential.
Lithuania’s neighbour Poland was recognised at the UNWTO General Assembly as one of the fastest growing tourism markets in the world. Following Poland’s example, Lithuania continues establishing tourist information centres abroad, takes part in business missions overseas, etc. The results are indeed pleasing: the number incoming tourists in 2004 was 1.8 million, 20% bigger than in 2003 and has been increasing every year.
Tourist related business in Lithuania is successfully developing. Hotel industry, countryside tourism, conference business, travel agencies organising holidays and cognitive tours in Lithuania are enjoying an increasing tourist flow not only from within the country, but also from abroad.
Figures given by the Lithuanian Department of Statistics illustrate that in 2005 against 2004 hotels accommodated by 22.6 per cent of guests more. Foreigners made up 65 per cent. According to survey results, the number of foreign guests who stayed at countryside tourism cottages rose by 40.1 per cent in 2005 compared with 2004. Lithuanian travel agencies have catered 8696 foreigners during the first quarter of 2006, which is 19.0% more than in 2005 the same period.
As an attempt to make Lithuania an attractive tourist destination, investments are made in the county’s infrastructure, preservation of natural and cultural heritage, building recreational facilities and expanding the range of entertainment services for tourists and holiday-makers. Moreover, new companies offering corporate breaks in Lithuania for foreign holiday-makers have appeared.
Finally, with the Old Town of Vilnius, the beauty of the Curonian Spit and Kernavė Archeological Site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the diversified tourist services, and an increasing foreign travellers’ interest in the country - what else is needed for Lithuania to catch up with the top tourism markets?
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