German

Vilniaus str. 4/35
LT-2600 Vilnius
Lithuania

E-mail

The importance of tourism was taken into account when state economic policy was formulated: it was acknowledged as a priority branch of the economy. For this reason, the State Tourist Service was established in 1992 (known since 1995 as the Lithuanian Tourist Board), and work began on a programme of national tourism development. The programme was approved by the government in April 1994. It is orientated towards the development of the tourism business, with the emphasis on entrance tourism.

According to the regulations passed by the government, the Lithuanian Tourist Board is a governmental institution which, within its competence limits, formulates and implements the policy of the government in the area of tourism. It should be noted that during the Soviet period, tourism was the monopoly of the Soviet Union: Lithuania only had departmental subdivisions with no economic independence in Intourist, Sputnik, the Council of Trade Union Tourism and the Excursions Centre. Although Lithuania was visited by a great number of tourists, all the income went to the central authority.

The greatest recent achievement has been that there are now a number of professional firms involved in tourism. They provide a variety of services and can successfully compete with foreign firms. Tourism services are undergoing a major change, with the renovation of accommodations, the establishment of joint hotel ventures and the building of new hotels.

Both Lithuanian and foreign specialists agree that there are favourable conditions for the development of tourism in the country: 30% of the territory offers good recreational resources, there are five national parks and 30 regional parks where the natural environment is preserved and cultural monuments are protected, and the country has favourable conditions for the development of recreational, sports and cultural tourism.

A total of 28% of the country is covered by forests; thus there are good conditions for the promotion of hunting-related tourism. Hunting expeditions are organized, and many hunter-tourists come from the countries of Western Europe. Lithuania has many lakes, rivers and beautiful beaches along a 90-km strip of the Baltic coast which is flanked by forests. The Curonian Spit is a unique formation: the area has been made into a national park and is visited by a great number of tourists.

The nation has preserved over 10,000 sites of cultural value which are classified as historical, archaeological, architectural or artistic monuments. The main activities of the Tourist Board are as follows:

• the establishment of the legislative basis in the sphere of tourism services;
• the preparation of various programmes and projects concerning the development of tourism and acquisition of information;
• training of personnel involved in tourism;
• the marketing and advertising of Lithuanian tourism.