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On this, the head of the Nature Policy Group of the Ministry of the Environment. Specialist Eduardas Vaitkevičius and Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation Vincas Jurgutis spoke on Tuesday on the Ryto espresso radio news program.
As the presenter noted, in 1946. Smiltyne lost its resort status because it was included in the restricted coastal border zone. Smiltyne is part of the Curonian Spit National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“It just came to our knowledge then. (…) It should be mentioned that the general plan of the territory of the Republic of Lithuania establishes very clearly that such tourist territories, in terms of the coast, could appear – one would be Smiltynė, the other – Giruliai, ”E. Vaitkevičius pointed out.
He drew attention to the precise definition: Smiltyne, if approved by the institutions, would become a tourist area.
© Mindaugas Milinis
“It would not be a resort, but a resort area, but in essence it does not change. There must be a certain infrastructure, it must be harmonized and not contradict all the requirements of the Curonian Spit National Park, Unesco, world heritage requirements. It is possible to reconcile everything with the mind, find a solution, restore the “Strandhalle”, which is the old beach hall in Smiltyne, everything is possible, “said representatives of the Ministry of the Environment.
E. Vaitkevičius pointed out that Smiltynė as a tourist territory is foreseen in the general plans of both the state and the territory of the Klaipėda city municipality.
“The legal blessing at the state level is, just now we need to plant and implement in a very orderly way,” he said.
When asked why Smiltyne had not previously been recognized as a tourist area, E. Vaitkevičius replied, noting that these provisions were not in the old general plan of the territory of the city of Klaipeda, but in the new one, yes there is.
“This action should not be carried out by anyone else, it is the first initiative of the municipality. (…) This is the municipality that has done its work, the general plan of the city provides for a tourist center in Smiltyne and now technical solutions are beginning ”Said E. Vaitkevičius.
The specialist noted that due to the reconstruction of the interwar beach ballroom in Smilynė – “Strandhallė” (“Beach Hall”), approval has already been received from some institutions.
© Made in Klaipeda
“To restore what was, those good interwar traditions, we need to have those natural, clean, fair and good areas so they don’t turn into Florida or Monaco or anything else. We need to reap the benefits of what we have and what we have. that we can be proud on a global scale. Shrugging can solve this. A member of the Seimas rightly asks a question and it will come true, “added E. Vaitkevičius.
Vice Minister: If the requirements are met, we don’t see any problem with that.
The Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation, V. Jurgutis, also participated. According to him, Smiltynė is already naturally associated with the resort and recreation for many people.
“Apparently many people already associate Smiltyne with the tourist area, the tourist center or the place where they spend their free time. Similarly, the Klaipeda City Municipality has repeatedly tried to approach the official status of a tourist area. If we receive an application, we will definitely evaluate and, if we meet all the criteria that are provided for the resort areas and grant their status, we really do not see any problem for this to happen, and we would really be happy, “he said. V. Jurgutis.
According to him, such a request from the municipality of the port city was presented to the Government of the previous legislature, then the municipality received comments on what should be implemented.
“We have not received any proposals during this period. At the moment, we are updating the description of the tourist areas a bit so that it is clearer, more understandable,” emphasized the deputy minister.
According to V. Jurgutis, there are a number of requirements for the tourist area.
“We all understand that there are certain requirements for the quality of the environment and infrastructure. We are talking about cleanliness, absence of traffic, accessibility for the disabled, etc. These are quite objective criteria that apply to all the Lithuanian territories that wish to use this been, ”he explained.
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