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Lithuanians or foreigners?
The quarantine, which has not been fully lifted, is adjusting this year’s tourism plans. They are being replaced not only by the travelers themselves, but also by the cities. Here, Kaunas generally focused more on foreign tourists, but this summer much attention will be paid to the Lithuanian attraction.
Tadas Stankevičius, head of the public institution “Kaunas IN”, which establishes the tourism strategy, confirmed to Kauno Diena that this summer will be really special and different. The coronavirus ghost, which had not yet subsided, caused a postponement of plans and a greater return for local travelers. However, after the return of most flights, foreign tourists are also expected to visit Kaunas. Admittedly, more of them are expected to come from neighboring countries this year.
“We are interested in predicting what our future will be like. We have developed several scenarios. It will all depend on how soon the previous flights will be returned. One scenario is the main one, focused on the needs of short-distance travelers: Lithuanian, Latvian tourists, Estonians, Poles and relatively Scandinavians. ” “The Scandinavians have loved traveling by motorbike and caravan, so we hope that, as usual, they will also visit Kaunas. If the scenario is more favorable, we will also wait for those who have the opportunity to arrive by plane,” said T Stankevičius.
According to T. Stankevičius, people want to rediscover Kaunas. (Photo by “Kaunas IN”)
According to the interlocutor, the greatest potential this year is local tourists, who generally choose vacations in warm countries and now want to get to know Lithuania. It is thanks to local travelers that the Kaunas IN team has developed additional programs that may interest visitors from other cities.
“All cities will try to attract Lithuanians to us. We are no exception. We have just implemented an initiative together with our partners: the Kaunas cognition app, which works in a similar way to guidance skills. It is especially suitable for cyclists get to know the city through the personalities of Kaunas “. to see historical sites both in the city and in the district. We are preparing to digitize the programs we already had.
There are also routes that allow you to trace the cultural heritage of other nations in Kaunas, which was especially evident when the city was the temporary capital. We hope that Lithuanians look for traces of other cultures in our city. We really want those places that have not been discovered so far to develop in the most beautiful colors this summer. We really want travelers from other cities to see Kaunas as we see it, “said the tourism expert.
According to T. Stankevičius, several routes can already be found on mobile phones, but paper maps are not abandoned. They can be collected at the Tourist Information Centers. “Digital is gaining more and more participation. It is more convenient to update routes or information related to them. I think that mobile phones are increasingly necessary when traveling in cities, especially to find places that are more difficult to navigate. reach or less visited, “added the director of Kaunas IN. .
Route abundance
Tourism specialists stated that Kaunas can offer a variety of cognitive routes. Some of them already love tourists, others invite you to look at the city with new eyes and see not only the greatness of the interwar pearls, but also the aesthetics of contemporary street art.
Street art is especially popular in Kaunas, it even has a separate tourist route.
“Kaunas already has many activities related to infrastructure in development, more and more cycle routes are being used that can be used to reach various parts of the city. There are also parks and forests in Kaunas, so people can choose so much time free as the liability. ” In Kaunas, everyone can discover things they like, said the head of Kaunas IN.
According to him, the city can be proud of the fortifications of the forts. It is an exceptional heritage since other cities cannot boast of such objects and their abundance. Now that the forts are in order, everyone can offer something new when there are museums somewhere, so story hunters will find some really interesting stories here.
“Certainly not everyone is familiar with what the Pažaislis complex has to offer. There is a cognitive trail to the Yacht Club, so you can take a romantic stroll and then stay in Pažaislis. In the central part of Kaunas, Laisvės Alley will definitely become in a center of attraction, because there are many places to have a delicious coffee or just stay “, – T. Stankevičius suggested romantic routes.
Pažaislis attracts not only surrounded by nature.
According to him, those who like architectural accents can take a look at the modernist guide to Kaunas, where they can discover the interwar spirit. Those who like modernity are offered to watch the spread of street art in Kaunas.
“There is a route that reveals the street art that exists in Kaunas. Traveling along the route” inscriptions of Sienographs “you can see the main works of street art in the city. Each of them has its own history. In addition, they are located in different parts of the city. Kaunas will be open to various ideas and developers, “said the interlocutor.
According to him, the charm of Kaunas is also created by the people who live here and the established companies. During the cooperation, ideas come up that encourage not only to entertain, but also to see the suburbs of Kaunas and bring the best emotions home.
“There are also private initiatives, which I think will be very attractive during the summer. Here on the island of Nemunas, near the Žalgiris Arena, there is a coastal initiative: people are invited to have a delicious snack and perform various performances, of course , provided that the current quarantine conditions allow it. “Our objective, so that there are more initiatives of this type. Our goal, to make them known, people would go to them and we would really see that there is a lot of action in Kaunas and it is possible to have fun, “said T. Stankevičius.
There are also parks and forests in Kaunas, so people can choose between active and passive leisure.
Watersports
Kaunas is a city of rivers, making water entertainment inseparable from the city. At Kaunas Lagoon you can catch the wind on yachts or sail on larger boats. Shipping is also being revived in the Nemunas, so the ships are expected to not only provide entertainment for tourists, but also transportation, which can be used to get to Kaunas in an interesting way.
“The waterways are both entertainment and communication. Kaunas has great potential. This year it is already possible to navigate from Kaunas to Nida,” cognitive routes in the Nemunas are offered by city boats and several smaller boats. There’s also no lack of entertainment at Kaunas Lagoon.
There is no doubt that this year many people will visit Kaunas due to the revived “Raketa” route to Nida.
By boat you can get to the Lithuanian Folk Museum, the Kadagiai Valley, admire the coasts overlooking the water. We imagine that Lithuanians will spend more vacations in our country, so recreational travel will definitely be popular. Those who have already tried this type of swimming are happy to recommend it to others, “said the head of Kaunas IN.
Plus, the city has more than one beach, and they can often rent a boat or pedalo to add another hobby to their summer plan.
Publicitary estrategy
However, while this summer Kaunas can offer various entertainment, cognitive clues, or history searches, hotel compatriots are in no rush to make reservations so far. Firstly, Lithuanians are grabbing them in the tourist centers, and Kaunas will still have to fight for the attention of local tourists, therefore advertising strategies will be prepared that will try to attract the attention of residents of other cities.
“Hotels are one of the hardest hit by the effects of this global freeze. We are communicating with them and trying to get more people to come to Kaunas and stay in hotels because of our initiative. Of course, they are following the news on how to get involved. in various activities, but “Our main objective is to show city guests that there are many objects in Kaunas that are not enough to see in one day, so we want people to spend more than one day here and get to know the city as much as possible, “said T.Stankevičius.
He assured that in the hotels we are waiting not only for guests from neighboring countries and other Lithuanian cities, but also Kaunas residents themselves. According to the head of Kaunas IN, the new hotels have started operating in the city, so citizens themselves could try them out and be tourists in their city.
“Because many people will plan their vacations differently than usual this summer, and Kaunas residents themselves could stay in hotels located in Kaunas and thus make their vacations completely different, and then they could share their feelings and experiences with friends from other cities. We want people to feel at home, as guests, but also at home “, the interlocutor thought about the idea of seeing their city differently.
T.Stankevičius admitted that he will really have to fight with tourist cities to get the attention of local tourists, therefore additional advertising campaigns are being organized, which will be implemented in the Lithuanian market to make Kaunas even more visible.
I want to discover everything that is being done in Kaunas at the moment, to see the progress and growth of the city.
“As we already said, most Lithuanians will choose a holiday in Lithuania this year, so it is natural that the demand for hotels is higher. How to position the city itself is a great challenge, because not all cities can offer services beach or spa. “We have planned much more intensive advertising in the local Lithuanian market, we will try to see as many people as possible on the main Kaunas excursions and discover that there are still things to discover in our city,” he said. the director of Kaunas IN, a public institution that cares for the image of the city.
So far, it hasn’t revealed what Kaunas advertising will look like in other cities, as the latest accents are still getting on. However, the interviewee indicated that advertising campaigns will be carried out through different information channels and will be presented in different forms.
“I would like to say that we all have one or another stereotype about cities or places, but we believe that Kaunas has changed significantly in recent years. The Kaunas 2022 team is also working intensively, preparing activities for both Kaunas residents and guests. of the city, so I really wish to discover everything that is currently being done in Kaunas, to see the progress and growth of the city. We invite everyone to become ambassadors of Kaunas, regardless of where they live, “added T. Stankevičius.
Incidentally, it was planned to attract food tourists to Kaunas. The city municipality had even announced a competition for Kaunas food. However, due to quarantine, the commission was unable to choose a dish that reflected Kaunas, so the competition was postponed for the fall. Only then will a dish be chosen that can be served by all the catering establishments that operate in the city, so we will have to wait for these announcements in Kaunas. Until then, city guests are offered not only to try the city’s usual cafes, but also to visit legendary sights.
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