VILNIUS - Lithuanian hotels and accommodation establishments saw an 18.2 percent year-on-year rise of overnight stays during the first quarter of the year, signaling a pan-Baltic increase in tourism numbers.
The Statistics Department reported that a total of 179,700 people, of which 43 percent where foreign nationals, stayed at hotels and other accommodation establishments during the first three months. Hotels and guesthouses provided accommodation to 132,900 guests, holiday centers 's 6,600, and health centers 's 24,000.
The number of foreign visitors grew by 17 percent, year-on-year, while the number of foreign guests from the EU member states rose 18.8 percent.
Health centers in Druskininkai saw the most spectacular rise, as the number of Lithuanians who stayed in the resort town soared by 81 percent year-on-year.
The average occupancy rate at the country's hotels and guesthouses rose 29 percent over the first quarter, up 25 percent year-on-year. In Vilnius alone the rate increased from 28.3 percent to 34.7 percent.
The capital's hotels and guesthouses provided accommodation for a total 62,200 visitors during the three-month period, up 20.5 percent year-on-year. The number of foreign guests grew 21.3 percent.
