The main challenges facing tourism in Lithuania are seasonality, accessibility and connectivity, the supply of tourism services and quality products, consumer protection, and the digitalisation of tourism. Additional challenges identified as of high importance include preserving cultural and natural heritage, improving education and skills, improving socio-economic data, and increasing competitiveness against other destinations.
The National Tourism Development Programme for 2014-2020 sets out the main tourism development objectives, goals and priorities in Lithuania for the period to 2020 and is based on sustainable tourism principles. The overall aim is to increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector.
The Programme emphasises that to maintain tourist flows it is necessary to develop competitive tourism products, expand tourism infrastructure, promote the export of tourism services to foreign countries, take effective marketing and communication measures and increase awareness about Lithuania. The Programme also aims to improve the quality of services in Lithuania as a tourism destination, as well as reduce seasonality.
The main measures in Lithuania aimed at tackling the key high-priority challenges are to:
Develop public and private infrastructure in the priority areas of tourism development,
Create and develop attractive tourism routes,
Improve the country’s accessibility,
Increase the qualifications of employees of the tourism sector and improve their entrepreneurial skills,
Strengthen consumer protection in the tourism sector and supervision of travel services’ providers with the view of better enforcement of the relevant EU and national legislation,
Stimulate the certification and the accreditation of tourism services providers,
Stimulate the creation and the implementation of e-marketing projects,
Implement integrated marketing activities in the priority tourism markets,
Develop the marking and information system for tourist sites,
Co-operate with neighbouring countries to implement joint international marketing projects,
Stimulate the creation of tourism clusters in order to initiate the implementation of joint public and private tourism marketing projects,
Increase the supply of cultural events and attractions out of tourist season.
Four priority tourism types have been identified in the Programme: cultural tourism, business tourism, health tourism and green (eco) tourism. The Programme also covers the priority regions for tourism development (Vilnius, the coastal area, the Nemunas Lowland, the Southern Dzūkija, the Eastern Aukštaitija and the Žemaitija Highlands), which offer the most attractive tourism destinations in the municipal territories. In these areas, there are plans to promote and develop public and private infrastructure for the priority tourism products identified. Also, maps are drawn for the European Union structural support to be invested in tourism destinations.
At the end of 2015 the Lithuanian Strategy for Tourism Marketing for 2016-2020 was approved by the Decree of the Minister of Economy. Marketing measures provided in the Strategy are focused on raising awareness of Lithuania as a tourist destination in the priority markets, development of competitive tourism products, and establishment of effective communication channels. This can be achieved by rational use of Lithuanian natural and cultural resources, promotion of national traditions and events, and presentation of tourism services in domestic and international markets.
Health tourism has large growth potential in Lithuania. A feasibility study had previously examined the experience of foreign countries in promoting health tourism, analysed the international competitive environment, and evaluated the current situation in the field of health tourism in Lithuania.
A particular aim is to position Lithuania as an attractive country for ecotourism. To achieve this, it is important to ensure better promotion of Lithuania as an ecotourism destination in priority source markets and strengthen the skills of the labour force inside the sector. According to the data provided by the Association of the Rural Tourism of Lithuania, only 20% of clients of the homesteads are foreign guests.
With the aim to achieve Sustainable Tourism Development Goals and identify the most effective ways to increase the competitiveness of the tourism sector, the Ministry of Economy recently initiated a survey on “Sustainable tourism development in Lithuania”. The results were used to prepare guidelines for sustainable tourism development, which will be targeted to the Ministry and the Lithuanian State Department of Tourism, municipalities, tourism information centres, as well as the tourism business sector.
