Tourism

The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania and its Economic Development Group is in charge of shaping the national tourism policy, resort and resort territory development policy, taking part in the activities of international tourism organisations and representing Lithuanian there. The Tourism Policy Division is responsible for international agreements in the field of tourism as well as for maintaining relations with diplomatic missions of foreign countries and the Republic of Lithuania. Contacts of the Economic Development group.

Lithuania Travel is a national tourism development agency responsible for Lithuania's tourism marketing and promotion, acting under the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation. The strategic goal of Lithuania Travel is to raise awareness of Lithuania as an attractive tourism destination and to encourage inbound and domestic travel, and the main ambitions are enhancing international competitiveness of Lithuanian tourism sector and creating added value for the national economy.

Lithuania Travel closely collaborates with tourism businesses and organizations, presents Lithuanian tourism products, services and experiences on social and digital media, press trips, in international travel exhibitions and B2B events. The main communication channels of Lithuania Travel are the webpage www.Lithuania.travel and social media account "Lithuania Travel".

State Consumer Rights Protection Authority is responsible for the supervision of tourism service providers: tour operators, retailers, tour package sellers, and accommodation providers as well as for the representation of interests of tourists in the event of an insolvency or bankruptcy of the tour operator.

Contacts | State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (vvtat.lt)

Information on Tourism service providers in Lithuania. 

United Nations World Tourism Organisation

On 2 June 2023 Lithuania was elected of the Executive Council of the UNWTO for the period of 2023-2027.

Lithuania has received international recognition and has been elected to the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (WTO) for a four-year term. Lithuania will represent the European region in the organisation and will thus contribute to the development of global tourism policy and the promotion of Lithuania as a tourism destination. 

The 5 members of the WTO Executive Council were elected today by secret ballot from among 11 candidates from the European region for a new term of office. The WTO brings together 160 countries from around the world, 33 of which are elected to the WTO Executive Council.

“We are among the world's leading countries that have a say in shaping the global tourism policy and developing the future direction of tourism. Tourism is now undergoing a rapid recovery and the creation of a new tourism influenced by global challenges, so being on the WTO Executive Board is also a great responsibility. Tourism is one of the areas that stimulates economic growth, international cooperation and job creation," said Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of the Economy and Innovation.

According to the Minister, last year Lithuania welcomed almost 4 million tourists, of which 1.1 million were foreigners, with a 55% increase in the number of tourists staying in tourist accommodation places, and Lithuania aims to further increase tourist flows.

Being the only candidate for the WTO Executive Board from the Nordic-Baltic region, Lithuania presented itself as a country with great potential, a modern and innovative state with the ability to make targeted use of mobile data and having an outstanding mobile data map. Lithuania promotes sustainability, peace and encourages travel not only during peak travel times, but also offers a variety of experiences in all seasons. 

“This is a particularly important achievement for Lithuania, as it will allow us to strengthen the importance of tourism for the economy at national, regional and global level. By becoming a member of the WTO Executive Board, we intend to be even more active in our cooperation with other WTO countries to create a more resilient tourism ecosystem for the most tourist-rich region in Europe, and thus also for Lithuania. Moreover, we will represent the 8 Baltic Sea Region countries and we will also take their ideas to the WTO Executive Board,” said Vice Minister of the Economy and Innovation Ieva Valeškaitė.

The elections were held during the meeting of the WTO Regional Commission for Europe in Bulgaria. The 11 countries that submitted nominations to the WTO Executive Board were Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Israel, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The Czech Republic, Italy, Azerbaijan and Bulgaria were also elected to the Council together with Lithuania.  

According to data of the WTO, international tourism reached 63% of its pre-pandemic level in 2022. The European region has recovered the fastest, reaching 80% of pre-pandemic levels.
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In 2003, Lithuania was the first of the Baltic States to accede to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (hereinafter referred to as the 'UNWTO’). The UNWTO Articles of Association were ratified by Order No. IX-1742 of 23 September 2003 in Mexico on 27 September 1970.

The UNWTO is an intergovernmental international organisation, established in 1970, after the reorganisation of the International Union of Official Tourism Organisations. The mission of the UNWTO is to promote and develop tourism as an important tool stimulating peace and understanding, economic development and international trade. The UNWTO seeks to contribute through tourism to economic growth, international understanding, peace, welfare and respect as well as observance of human rights, irrespective of their race, gender, language or religion.

The Organisation maintains relations with the respective UN institutions and specialised agencies, cooperates efficiently in implementing UN development programmes, and participates in the activities of the UN organisation. The most significant directions of UNWTO policy formation are as follows: promotion of sustainable tourism development, tourism surveys, collection of statistical data, promotion of economic development, trade liberalisation, public and private partnership, improvement of the quality of tourism services, activation of tourism activity in regions, and the organisation of training courses, seminars, conferences, etc.

The UNWTO unites full members, associated members and observers. Only sovereign states may be full members, associated members can be all areas or groups thereof, which are not responsible for their external relations, and observers may be international inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations, commercial organisations, and associations.

During the period from 2007-2011 Lithuania served as the representative of the European region in the UNWTO Committee on Market and Competitiveness. In 2011, UAB Achemos Grupė became an observer at the UNWTO.

From 2015, Lithuania acts as Vice-Chair of the Regional Commission for Europe and is a member of the Committee of Tourism and Sustainability.

From 2018, Lithuania was a member of the Executive Council of the UNWTO for the period of 2018-2021.

The UNWTO office is situated in Madrid.

• Further information on the WTO is available at www.unwto.org.

European Commission’s Tourism Advisory Committee

The European Commission’s Tourism Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as the ‘TAC’) was established under Council Decision 86/664/EEC of 22 December 1986. The TAC is comprised of representatives of EU Member States, who gather for meetings a few times per year, according to need. The purpose of the TAC is to exchange information among EU Member States and Candidate countries in the field of tourism, to consult and provide the opportunity to present the country’s position by drawing up guidelines on the latest European tourism policy, introducing Europe as a tourist region, addressing the most relevant tourism-related issues, and adopting communications from the European Commission.

Further information on the Tourism Advisory Committee is available at http://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/tourism/index_en.htm

European Travel Commission

Lithuania became a member of the European Travel Commission (hereinafter referred to as the “ETC”) in 2002.

The ETC has its headquarters in Brussels and has 32 members. The key objective of the organisation is to market European countries worldwide. One of the main ETC marketing projects is the website http://www.visiteurope.com, financed by the European Commission from funds contributed by its Member States. Each year, Lithuania participates in conferences and trainings organised by the ETC in implementing the common project ‘Visit Europe’, which allows presenting the country in the general European context, improving the country’s image and attracting as many tourists as possible.

The Ministry of Economy participates in the ETC activities.

Prof. Renaldas Čiužas, Head of the Tourism Policy Division of the Ministry of Economy, has been elected a Vice-President for the Sustainability of the European Travel Commission.

• Further information on the ETC is available at http://www.etc-corporate.org/.

International Treaties and Agreements on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism'

To build and strengthen international relationships in the field of tourism, international treaties and agreements as well as protocols on cooperation in the field of tourism have been signed.

The Government of the Republic of Lithuania signed inter-governmental agreements on cooperation in the field of tourism with the Governments of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. All agreements could be found at http://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/treaties/bilateral

Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage Road

The Ministry of Economy and Innovation coordinates the implementation of the ‘Programme for the Creation of Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage Road and Adaptation of Its Objects for Pilgrimage and Tourism Needs 2007-2013’. The purpose of the Programme is to create Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage Road, adapt its objects for pilgrimage and tourism needs, develop public tourism infrastructure, and disseminate information.

The key sacral objects, which were visited by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Lithuania, other sacral objects related to Pope John Paul II, and sacral objects visited by pilgrims and tourists are included in Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage Route.

The results of the implementation of the ‘Programme for the Creation of Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage Road and Adaptation of Its Objects for Pilgrimage and Tourism Needs 2007-2013’ are assessed according to the number of implemented measures under the Programme: the number of pilgrims and tourists who visited the sites, the number of public infrastructure objects built and fixed, cleaning and construction works that have been done, and the number of marketing and information tools prepared and implemented.

Further information on Pope John Paul II’s Pilgrimage Road is available HERE.

Interactive map is HERE.

The Saint James Way

The Saint James Ways is one of the most significant examples of co-operation and exchange of experiences across Europe. In Lithuania the route is managed by Saint James Ways Lithuanian Association of Municipalities and Saint James Ways Friends Association.

You can find information on 4 international Saint James Ways in Lithuania HERE.

Camino Lituano

Camino Lituano is a modern-day pilgrimage route across Lithuania. It starts on the Lithuanian-Latvian border, spans 500 km across the country and finishes on the Lithuanian-Polish border, where pilgrims can continue to Camino Polaco. It is an impressive 20-day journey from Žagarė to Lazdijai, connecting Camino Latvia to Camino Poland in Sejny.

You can find more informatin about it and the map HERE.

Resorts and resort areas are locations where priority is given to the development of health tourism and active recreation. The objective of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation is to use the potential of resorts and resort areas to reduce tourism seasonality, to promote the development of complex, high-quality tourism services, and to improve health tourism infrastructure.

In Lithuania, there are currently four resorts: Birštonas, Druskininkai, Neringa, and Palanga, and four resort areas: Anykščiai, Trakai, Zarasai, Kačerginė, Kulautuva and the part Zapyškis, and the Strigailiškis and Palūšė rural areas of Ignalina town.

13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum

Lithuania hosted the 13th Baltic Sea Tourism Forum ‘Reviving tourism in times of global change’ (BSTF) on 10-13 November 2020 under the conditions of an unprecedented and uncertain situation of COVID-19. The BSTF has been one of the events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States 2020–2021. The BSTF, organised by the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania and the MecklenburgVorpommern Tourist Board, was held online for four days for the first time.

The organisers of the BSTF took under the consideration the current issues and the priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency. The Lithuanian Presidency is focusing on achievable, practical, and visible priorities, one of which is dedicated to sustainable development as well as green and maritime tourism as an important sector in reviving regional economy, increasing the region‘s visibility and giving employment opportunities to young people.

With more than 240 registered participants the BSTF became an inspiring event for all the members of the tourism society of the Baltic Sea Region, and to the international organisations including the UNWTO, the European Commission, the European Travel Commission, and the CBSS.

In the framework of the Lithuanian Presidency in the CBSS, the tourism ministers and highlevel representatives from the CBSS member states have gathered to discuss the Times of new beginnings - Where do we go from here?

Due to the travel restrictions, the pandemic has obviously paused the cooperation among the Baltic Sea countries to some extent. However, knowledge exchange, sharing of best practices and solutions and learning from each other is more important than ever before and cannot be stopped by any crisis. The countries’ representatives shared the lessons learned in the summer season, and provided information on the future vision and strategic long-term planning process as well as on short-term measures aimed to secure jobs and save businesses in the tourism industry and other interdependent sectors as well as to ensure safety for people and the society.

Please find the presentations of the Forum here.

You can re-watch recordings of every presentation and discussion here.

Beginning and development of the Lithuanian DMO

Workshop on the beginning and development of the Lithuanian DMO: challenges and opportunities. 7 June 2022, Vilnius (online) 

Programme:

Past events

Workshop on the Practical Implications of Sustainability

The Ministry of Economy, in cooperation of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)  and the Coordinators of the Policy Area Tourism European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region organised the Practical Implications of Sustainability workshop within the framework of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development which was held on 16–18 November 2016  in Šilutė, Lithuania.

‘The development of sustainable tourism is one of the key objectives of international tourism organisations which shape tourism policy. Despite the fact that Lithuania is presently representing Europe in the UNWTO Committee on Tourism and Sustainability the public sector representatives still lack knowledge about sustainable tourism; the tourism potential as well as tourism services and products offered by local people are not fully exploited in the regions’, said acting Minister of Economy Evaldas Gustas. In response to the above said challenges the workshop was organised on the initiative of the Ministry of Economy.  

The workshop was dedicated for the implementation of the Baltic Sea Strategy and for the preparation for the year 2017 – The International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

‘Just months ahead of the launch of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, we welcome this activity very much’, says Cordula Wohlmuther, Head of Institutional Relations and Resource Mobilization the UNWTO. ‘Sustainable tourism approaches should make optimal use of environmental resources in order to maintain essential ecological processes and help conserve natural heritage and biodiversity; they should respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and ensure viable, long-term economic operations providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders. The inclusion of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership, is the only path to ensure wide participation and consensus building. However, we should keep in mind that achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires the constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary’.

The venue for the workshop was not randomly chosen— this terrain in the seaside territory with its long-lasting traditions, unique nature and the local community actively engaged in cultural activities is among the sustainable tourism examples of Lithuania. Besides, we have to pay more attention to the seaside region as it is among the priority tourism regions of Lithuania.

‘Mobilizing the full potential of sustainable tourism is one the key pillars of action behind the action plan of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region in the policy area of tourism. Against the background of the Global Agenda 2030 and the adoption of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) member states have recently renewed their commitment to sustainable development in the ‘Baltic 2030 Declaration’. Tourism as a cross-cutting and much localised sector, which benefits from and at the same time depends on the preservation of destinations’ natural and cultural resources, should be a natural driver of sustainable development. This is even more true for the Baltic Sea Region with its unique natural and cultural heritage. Therefore, tourism should become a key player in the Baltic 2030 process both at te macro-regional, national, regional and local levels. The 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development is the perfect opportunity for taking joint action with a view to not only gain attention but also raise awareness internally and thus create a new momentum in the sustainable tourism development process in the Baltic Sea Region’, says Dr. Anja Gelzer, Coordinator of the Team, Policy Area Tourism EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.

6th European Congress on Rural Tourism. Druskininkai, 3–5 October 2018

In 2018, is Lithuania celebrating the 100 years of the restoration of its independence. As we celebrate the anniversary of our modern state, we continue strengthening the foundations of the statehood and promote the image of a modern and creative state whose people are led by three principles of innovation, sharing and responsibility.
Lithuania organises many events dedicated to the Centenary of our statehood. The 6th European Congress on Rural Tourism to be held in Druskininkai on 3–5 October 2018 is one of them. The event is dedicated to the EU-China tourism year as well.

The European Congress on Rural Tourism is organised in the EU since 2003 and takes place every 2–3 years in different countries of Europe. This year, the Congress will focus on this internationalisation of rural tourism in an European and worldwide context, alongside the following main blocks:
• International markets and sales: what does the customer expect and how to reach him
• Human resources: skills, competences, form of employment
• Opportunities for valorisation and added value of local assets through international rural tourism
• Product definition and development

For more information and registration: http://www.europeanrtcongress.org/

UNWTO-Lithuania Master Class

The Ministry of Economy in cooperation with UNWTO organized E-marketing master class What next for the Baltic sea tourism in a dynamic digital environment? The event took place on 18-19 November, 2014 in Druskininkai (Lithuania).

• Master-class presentations 

Presentations, analyses, studies

• Feasibility Study and Recommendations for Medical Tourism Development and Promotion of Medical Services Export in Lithuania: Executive Summary.
• Meetings industry in the EU – the role played by destinations Professor Magda Antonioli, Bocconi University, Italy
• Rural tourism in the EU – Innovative concepts and thematic products (active tourism, nature, gastronomy, etc.), Mr. Andy Woodward, President of EuroGites, UK
• Health Tourism in the EU - The evidence based treatment options in EU cross-border healthcare Mr. Laszlo Puczko, The Tourism Observatory for Health, Wellness and Spa, Hungary
• Experiences, needs and motivations of tomorrow’s tourists Professor John Lennon, Moffat Centre, UK
• Environmental trends – Will tourism respond to environmental and energy pressures? Professor C. Michael Hall, PhD, Visiting professor at Linnaeus University School of Business and Economics, Sweden
• Tourism taxation: benefit for countries economy or boundaries for tourists and business Mr. Alain Dupeyras, OECD, Head of the Tourism Unit, Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs and Local Development (CFE)
• Regional and urban policy and financial support for tourism for the period 2014-2020 Mr. Jean-Marc Venineaux, Policy Officer, Unit "Competence Centre Macro-regions and European Territorial Co-operation - Transnational and Interregional Co-operation" Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission (EC)
• The contribution of tourism to economic development in the Baltic Sea Region under the Europe 2020 Strategy for Growth and Jobs Mrs. Andrea Herrmannsen, Director of the Department of Europe and International Affairs of the State Chancellery Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
• Safe Host – supporting European social partners to combat sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, Mrs. Stefania RADICI, the SAFE HOST Project Coordinator, EFFAT Tourism Sector Secretary
• Tourism development trends in EU from the perspective of small countries  Prof.dr. Aušrinė Armaitienė, Klaipeda University, Lithuania
• Mr. Andrius Užkalnis, rapporteur

1st Regional Tourism Summit on Peace and Recovery

1st Regional Tourism Summit on Peace and Recovery took place on 17 June 2022 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Location - Courtyard by Marriott Vilnius City Center (Rinktinės str. 3).

Programme

 Information on speakers.

• United Nations World Tourism Organisation
• European Travel Commission
• European Commission
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Public institution LITHUANIA TRAVEL
• Chamber of Tourism
• Lituhuanian Tourism Association
• Useful information and news about Lithuania
• See, stay, do, eat, visit in Lithuania