LITHUANIA IS OPEN TO DISCERNING TRAVELLERS
On 14th May 2013, Ambassador of Lithuania met with David Curtis-Brignell, board member of the Tourism Society - professional membership body for people working in all sectors of the visitor economy.
Possibilities for tourism promotion between Lithuania and the UK were explored, with particular emphasis on the forthcoming Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council (July-December 2013).
Suggestions on how to capitalise on this exciting period were discussed and, as reiterated by Mr. Curtis-Brignell, “British people do not need to be introduced to Lithuania; they need to be assisted to re-discover it”.
“Some may not be aware that Lithuania is not a new country and that tourists from the UK made it a popular destination at the beginning of the 20th century”, mentioned the Lithuanian Ambassador. Indeed, Lithuania - the geographic centre of Europe is an attractive destination for explorers of rich historic heritage, vibrant cultural life, untouched natural beauty and abundance of health resorts (Palanga, Smiltynė, Juodkrantė, Druskininkai and Birštonas, to name a few). The tourist route “Amber Route” was discussed during the meeting as it gives an opportunity to discerning traveller to combine acquaintance with the country with discovery of the Lithuanian “gold”.
Some interesting information:
A statistical booklet published in 1928 mentions, that every year popular Lithuanian resorts welcomed about 20 thousand visitors, half from overseas.
Few years ago, Anna Goldrein of “The Independent” tapped into the Lithuanian folklore and gave a brief introduction to the genesis of amber on Lithuanian Baltic seashores: “According to Lithuanian folklore, Perkūnas, god of thunder, got angry when sea goddess Jūrate and drop-dead gorgeous fisherman Kastytis got it together. Whipping the sea up into a frenzy, Perkūnas chained Jūrate to her underwater amber palace and smote it, bringing it down around her. Now, when the goddess cries, the sea becomes upset and stormy, washing her amber tears and fragments of her destroyed palace on to the beach. That is why amber is best gathered after a storm.”
