Agencies tasked with promoting Lithuanian tourism will operate and work with Lithuanian tourism companies in Germany, Poland, France, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Nordic countries (one agency for Norway, Sweden, and Finland).
“Until the recession of 2009, we had tried to promote Lithuania ourselves, but our budget kept being cut during the downturn until it disappeared altogether. Now we're resuming the work of Lithuanian agencies, but we're doing it differently this time – we're contracting local marketing and PR professionals in those countries. This will save us up to half a million litas per year, so it makes sense economically,” Balnienė says.
Tourism professionals note that Lithuania is already a leader in number-of-tourists growth tables. More people have been coming from the UK and Norway, also from Russia, tourism from Poland has also been recovering.
Brits will be encouraged to come by car
Every agency will employ a slightly different strategy to attract tourists from their respective country.
“You have so much to offer, but British tourists go only to Vilnius. Cuisine, adventure tourism, and SPA centres – these will be our priorities. However, the key is that the national carrier fly from London to Vilnius, this way we can reach those people who do not travel with cheap airlines,” says Alison Cryer, head of the UK agency.
She has one more suggestion how to solve the air travel problem: “We are planning to organize a rally London-Vilnius. This way we will be promoting trips to Lithuania by cars and campers.”
Russians to come for beer
The British agency will also try to shake off the image of drunk Brits in Vilnius by offering other forms of entertainment. Meanwhile representative to Russia Maria Grebennikova says her primary goal will be to distinguish Lithuania from among the Baltic states and introduce tourists to the Lithuanian cuisine and beer. “We do not have such good beers in our country, so I think that Russian tourists should be interested. We will be trying to pull tourists out of Vilnius and Trakai in order to show a different Lithuania,” Grebennikova says.
Moreover, Lithuania has done more than Latvia and Estonia to ease the procedures of issuing visas to Russian tourists – which should also give tangible results.
Southern countries to concentrate on culture
Spanish, Italian, and French tourists will be lured to Lithuania with its cultural heritage. “Three fourths of Spanish tourists never go outside Vilnius. Moreover, tourists usually plan one trip across all the three Baltic States. We will try to broaden Spaniards' horizons and show what else they can do in Lithuania,” assures Miguel Urresti.
Italians exhibit similar habits as Spanish tourists. However, Italy's agency, based in Milan, will be working to attract young and active people who favour adventurous holidays.
The French will be hearing about Lithuania as a perfect spot for short holidays. “During the recession, many Frenchmen gave up long trips to faraway countries. People in France now travel for shorter but more frequent periods. Lithuania could be a great place for short and cheap holidays for French tourists,” says Zelie Breval.
New look from Poles and Germans
Polish and German tourists discovered Lithuania long ago. Therefore these nations require different approach to promote the country. Comparatively many Poles and Germans have already been here and have formed certain stereotypes about Lithuania.
According to the agency in Poland, most Polish tourists come to Lithuania because of religious and historic links between the two countries. So the main challenge here will be to have the Poles look at their neighbours in a fresh way.
Unlike in Britain, German travel agencies take tourists not just from the capital, but from other major cities as well. Therefore German marketing specialist Suvi Makinen is happy about new air travel routes between Vilnius and various cities in Germany.
“Germans prefer to plan their trips through travel agencies, so we are going to work with them,” Makinen assures.
Cheap country
Goran Nilervall, commenting on specificities of Nordic travellers, agrees that the biggest challenge is to get the tourist go beyond the main cities. “Scandinavians, wherever they go, like sports and active leisure. And in a recent index, Lithuania is shown as the cheapest country with best services for tourists. And Scandinavians do find that attractive,” Nilervall says.
