VILNIUS - London recently hosted one of the largest and most important business events - the World Travel Market - in the tourism industry. For Lithuania, the event was particularly important since the country was aiming to make a push in the tourism market.
Seventeen travel agencies and hotels represented Lithuania at the exhibition, which took place Nov. 7 - 12. Exhibit organizers employed a combination of size and originality to woo guests to the area, which covered 69 square meters and had a 20-square-meter bar on the second floor. Kalnapilis, the award-winning beer, was offered on tap, and Gediminas Stankevicius, the Holiday Inn barman who finished second in Lithuania's barman championship, did the pouring.
"Lithuanian travel companies working in the market of Great Britain [were] interested in attending the London exhibition. [It was] an excellent opportunity to refresh business relations and to establish new business contacts with the representatives from the whole world," Alvitis Lukosevicius, director of the state department of tourism, said.
"I am glad that the inflow of tourism from Great Britain continues to increase," he added. "It is of crucial importance for us to promote Lithuania in Great Britain and the rest of the world."
According to data from the department of statistics, 9,791 visitors from Great Britain visited Lithuania and stayed in local accommodation establishments during the first six months this year, an increase of 1.8 percent year-on-year.
The World Travel Market, which celebrated its silver anniversary last year, had its most successful exhibition ever this year in terms of space occupied and number of visitors. The WTM is the international travel industry's premier business-to-business forum, with over 5,000 leading suppliers and 44,000 industry professionals from over 190 countries taking part.
Aurimas Turantas, Lithuania's ambassador to Great Britain, commerce attaches Alfredas Slekys and Olga Stravinskiene, visited the country's platform.
