2014 Paves the Way for Further Tourism Growth in Lithuania in 2015

Lithuania saw strong growth in inbound tourism in 2014 as visitors travelled to experience a culture rich in history and art, the rolling hills of the national parks and UNESCO sites such as the Curonian Spit and Vilnius Old Town. Inbound tourism grew by 7.7% in 2014 and having being ranked 3rd in the Lonely Planet's Top 10 destinations to visit in 2015, the tourism sector looks set for another healthy year, boosted by excellent flight routes from the UK and Lithuania's recent status as the newest member of the Eurozone.

In line with other Baltic states, inbound tourism to Lithuania has risen as the number of local tourists exceeded 1 million and the number of visitor stays from foreign tourists rose to 1.3 million. Visitor numbers are increasing heavily from further afield, as news of Lithuania's quirky and vibrant charm is attracting high number of visitors from Japan and the USA.

Visitors from the UK are spared the long-haul flight and can experience what Lithuania has to offer with a short flight across the North and Baltic Sea. Direct flight access from the UK is superb with flights leaving from London, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Birmingham, Doncaster and Bristol. Wizzair offer flights to Vilnius while Ryan Air operate flights to Vilnius and Kaunas. Less than a three hour flight with either of these carriers will take visitors to a treasure trove of natural beauty; Vilnius' baroque old town, Trakai Castle and the Curonian Spit are just a few gems waiting to be discovered and part of what makes Lithuania Europe's best kept secret.

Lithuania's recent move to join the Eurozone also holds promise of increasing inbound tourism for 2015 as from 01 January 2015 it became easier to implement electronic payments and transactions in the country. The move is the final stage in Lithuania's bid to become a fully-fledged European nation, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Lithuania's independence, a campaign which has certainly come full circle with its motto 'Back to Europe'.

For more information on Lithuania see www.Lithuania.travel

-ENDS-

For more information please contact:
Lithuanian Tourism Office in the UK
Alexander Gray
Tel: + 44 (0) 208 877 4516
Email: lithuania@representationplus.co.uk
Visit: www.Lithuania.travel/uk

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Notes to Editors:

• Visit: www.Lithuania.travel/uk
• Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) both fly from London Luton to Vilnius International Airport. Ryanair also fly to Vilnius from London Stansted. Air Baltic via Riga from Gatwick. For more information, visitwww.vilnius-airport.lt/en.
• Year round events include Mardi Gras in February, Vilnius International Film Festival in March, the International Jazz Festival in April, the International Contemporary Dance Festival "New Baltic Dance" and Street Music Day in May, the Medieval Festival in Trakai Peninsular Castle in June, the Cultural Night ‚Let it be the Night' in July and the Vilnius Marathon in September and the "Christopher Christmas" music concerts in December, with many other notable events throughout the year.
• Lithuania is the southernmost country of the three Baltic States and has a 90km coastline along the Baltic Sea. Summers are generally warm with temperatures up to 30°C. Winters are cold with easterly winds bringing temperatures down to as low as -12°C. Spring and autumn are mild and there is normally snow cover for two months of the year.