More wealthy tourists come to Lithuania

The number of tourists in Lithuania from economically advanced countries has been constantly increasing. In 2000, compared with the previous year, the number of Finnish tourists increased by 44%, Germans – by 26%, Swedes – by 17%. In 2000 foreign tourists spent LTL 1.75 billion (USD 0.4 billion) in Lithuania – double of what Lithuanian tourists spent abroad. To encourage tourism the Lithuanian Government has introduced several new measures: a considerable drop in consular fees, extension of stay in Lithuania from 10 to 30 days for tourists from 26 countries who come to the country without invitations, etc. 14 new hotels were build in 2000 and the trend will continue. The construction of two new 5 star hotels will start this year.