Europe

Lithuania, known for its amber and scent, launches tourism marketing services to build brand

Vilnus Lithuania

Lithuania is looking to attract tourists from Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and China to boost revenues and is taking proactive steps to spread awareness.

Keliauk Lietuvoje (Lithuania Travel), a national tourism promotion agency, has opened search for representatives in these countries for initiating tourism marketing services. The aim of tourism marketing services would be to raise the profile of Lithuania as a country attractive for tourists and to boost incoming tourist flows, the agency told news wire BNS.

According to the Central Procurement Portal, the agency signed contracts with Milan-registered Aigo (257,100 euros, ex-VAT), Travel Link Market of Beijing (100,000 euros) and Aviareps Tourism of Munich (nearly 300,000 euros) in spring for marketing services.

The foreign partners will study the tourism market and organize events to promote tourism opportunities in Lithuania, such as contact fairs, business missions and exhibitions.

Keliauk Lietuvoje said that the incoming tourist flow in Lithuania might shrink by 40% and the flow of domestic tourist might contract by 25% this year, which would translate into the loss of approximately 0.5 billion euros in revenue for the country’s tourism sector.

Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. Lithuania is one of the Baltic states. The country is situated along the south-eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark.

Cepelinai, basically potato dumplings stuffed with meat, curd cheese or mushrooms, is the most famous national dish. Lithuania is the only country in the world with its own official scent, called the Scent of Lithuania. It is produced by the French perfumery Galimard. It is a blend of bergamot, wild flowers, ginger, raspberry and grapefruit, with base notes of amber, cedar, sandalwood and tree moss.

Lithuanian sea sides are famous for the amber found on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Amber is fossilised tree resins, which have been appreciated for its colour and natural shine since Neolithic times. The residents treat Lithuanian amber as their gold.