The year 2003 was successful for Lithuanian travel agencies
Most of them have increased their sales and the number of tourists. There is a tendency of amalgamation and strengthening of the largest agencies. Travel agencies “Novaturas” and “Omnituras” would be the best examples of this successful cooperation.
According to the business daily made by “Verslo Zinios”, the biggest sales are counted in “West Express”: its sales in 2002 comparing to 2001 increased by 20 percent, “Baltic Clipper” grew by 30 percent, “Novaturas” – by 15. The data of all the agencies show that the biggest companies have become stronger, at that time the smallest ones have become weaker.
According to the number of the inbound tourists in 2002 the biggest travel organizing agencies are as follows: Liturmex, Lithuanian Tours, Delta Tours, West Express and etc.
Foreign guests are welcome in the Lithuanian country tourism
Travelers from the European countries make only a few percent of all the visitors of the Lithuanian countryside. The most usual guests there are Polish and German visitors, people from Scandinavia frequently ask about a country holiday in Lithuania.
Good example of an effective marketing could be Czech Republic, where the Lithuanian country tourism association has its representative. After the information about Lithuania in the Czech language was distributed, 800 tourists from this country came to spend a holiday in 48 farmsteads of Lithuania. According to the Lithuanian country tourism association, Diplomatic Missions of Lithuania could help a lot in advertising the traveling and leisure possibilities in the Lithuania’s countryside.
New hotels
A new hotel “Audenis” was opened in Birstonas this February. Till that time the hotel service in the resort was provided only by sanatoriums. The hotel “Audenis” was established by the textile enterprise “Kauteksa” in Kaunas. It has decided to take up in tourism as the alternative activity. The 10-room hotel could pretend to be given a 3-star category. The prices there are much lower then in Vilnius and Kaunas.
Besides, the owners of the “Audenis” expect to revive the tourism service market in Birstonas. They plan to organize the flights by hot air balloons, the sightseeing excursions by aircraft (the air port Pociunai is located near the city).
A completely renovated 5-star hotel Congress was opened near the Neris river by the Green Bridge. The hotel has 85 rooms, a 45-seats conference hall. Also there is a European food restaurant in the cellar. A bar will be located on the top floor from which the guests will enjoy the panorama of the center of Vilnius.
After the reconstruction the hotel “Vilnius” will become a luxurious “Marriot” group hotel. The 5-star hotel will have 178 rooms and a 500-sq. m. conference hall. It will aim at the big groups of the business class visitors. The reconstruction should last for 16-18 month.
New entertainment and services
Lithuanians are not very frequent visitors of the largest sanatorium in country “Egle”. 40 percent of the visitors of the Druskininkai sanatorium “Egle” were from Poland, 30 – from Germany. Lithuanians made up only 18 percent of all its clients.