In their home country, which is extremely densely populated, the Japanese live and work very close to one another and see little nature,

"However, it is not easy to understand how much the Japanese really like Lithuania, and how much they hate it. They are extraordinarily polite, it is rude to say ‘no’ in their culture, so it is not easy to figure out when they say what they mean, and when it is just a ‘white lie’,” says the guide. “The positive conclusions that tourists from the country of the rising sun like Lithuania can only be drawn from the continuously increasing flow of travellers.”
Data of the Lithuanian Tourism Department show that, according to the number of tourists arriving in Lithuania from Asia, Japan has the lead. 37.5 percent more tourists from Japan visited Lithuania during the first half of 2014 than a year before.

In late September, the tour agency Baltic Tours participated and presented Lithuania in one of the world’s largest tourism exhibition, JATA Tourism EXPO Japan. Most Japanese tourists, who like to see the world by travelling, tend to first visit Italy, Greece, Germany and other bigger, more popular European destinations and only later do they come to Lithuania, looking for something less ordinary. After returning home, they are eager to tell their peers about what they have seen, even boasting a little about visiting a country which is not known in Japan.
Tourists from the country of the rising sun who come to the Baltics usually tour sites listed as UNESCO heritage: the Old Town of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, Trakai, Rundale Palace in Latvia.

Lithuania makes the biggest impression on Japanese visitors of all the three Baltic states. “Because our architectural heritage has more baroque buildings, which the Japanese particularly like. A walk around the Old Town gives the Japanese the impression of a medieval city. True, apparently because of different cultural references, what looks old for the Japanese can sometimes prove to be actually quite new, and vice versa,”

Japanese tourists have the child-like quality of being able to notice details and enjoy them. “Sometimes I tell about Napoleon, who wanted to take away the church of St. Ann, when they see a kitten and start taking photos of it. Maybe it is because it is more often the elderly that travel to Lithuania, and they are more sentimental. So it is not surprising that sometimes live things are more interesting to them than architectural objects,”

Japanese are also quite pragmatic, they are interested in a walk around Vilnius Akropolis, the city’s biggest shopping mall: “Shopping is one of the most popular leisure activities in the world and Japan is not an exception.”
While visiting Lithuania, Japanese tourists try to taste some traditional Lithuanian foods: zeppelins, dumplings and other dishes. They only avoid cold beetroot soup, which does not seem appetizing, though they really like to order it and take photos of themselves with “the pink soup”.

Lithuanians are a little similar to the Japanese in character: “The Japanese and Lithuanians share some features of northern peoples: they are restrained, cautious, tend to keep the distance. You will not become friends with a Japanese person fast, or with a Lithuanian. A lot of time passes before the Japanese show emotions. And if their journey across the Baltic states begins in Lithuania, they become more open and emotional only in Latvia or even Estonia.”

Lithuania was named number-three destination in Lonely Planet's list of best countries to visit in 2015.

In the top-ten ranking compiled by the world's largest travel guide book publisher, Lithuania is included as "one of Europe’s best-kept secrets", a "rebellious, quirky and vibrant" country.
Lonely Planet compiled the list using criteria such as whether there was a special event next year, or because the writers believed that the destination will soon become a big hit.
Topping the list of best countries to visit next year is Singapore, followed by Namibia and Lithuania.
Among Lithuania's attractions the guide points out the "majestic Baltic coastline and the unique sliver of white sand known as the Curonian Spit" as well as the capital city, Vilnius, "a beguiling artists’ enclave, with mysterious courtyards, worn cobbled streets and crumbling corners, overshadowed by baroque beauty beyond belief."

According to Lonely Planet, also of interest to international visitors might be remnants of Lithuania's Soviet history, a Cold War museum housed in a former nuclear missile site and a Soviet sculpture park.
International travel continues to grow, with around 517 million tourists travelling in the first six months of this year compared to the 494 million in the same period in 2013, according to the World Tourism Organization's latest figures.

Lithuania has recently received much attention in the international press: it has been named among top places to visit by publications like Forbes, Business Insider and the Huffington Post.

Last October, the world's leading tourism platform Lonely Planet included Lithuania into it's top 10 places to visit in 2015, putting it in the third spot, below only Singapore and Namibia.
According to these publications, the features that recommend Lithuania to international travellers include Lithuania's recent accession to the eurozone, which saves much bother of exchanging currencies, one of Europe's biggest old towns in Vilnius, a UNESCO world heritage site, as well as the Curonian Spit, a piece of untarnished nature with impressive sand dunes.

According to Geert Snaet, Belgian general manager of Holiday Inn in Lithuania and head for the Baltic region at real estate management firm Triangle, a spot in the Lonely Planet's list might cause a chain reaction and raise Lithuania's profile significantly.
"Lonely Planet mentioning Lithuania as one of tourist destinations is incredible," he tells DELFI. "I spoke to my colleagues at other hotels and no one has a clue how Vilnius caught the attention of what is arguably the main international magazine, from where the message was picked up by smaller magazines. Certainly, this will have an effect on tourism. When, say, a Belgian goes to a Belgian travel agency and doesn't know where to go, the agent tells them: go to Lithuania. And he does not risk anything, because almost every magazine is writing about Lithuania, the country is also in the eurozone."

There's hope, he says, that airlines will also take more interest in Lithuania as they see growing client flows going there.
"Lithuania is a country that tourists like once they come here. It shatters prejudices and leaves a very positive impression. The main factor, I think, that affects Lithuania's popularity is that more people are coming here for international events like NATO Military Committee meeting in Vilnius, EU Council presidency events, Vilnius Capital of Culture, etc. Working visits cause a chain reaction - people get to see the country and change their preconceptions, then they come for leisure, too, with their families," says Strategy Lab marketing consultant Audrius Savickas.
He says that professional events hosted by Lithuania are already paying dividend - the country is mentioned as a country worth visiting in foreign media increasingly often.
"I do not believe that one message in one publication could have that much of an effect. I think it is an outcome, not the reason. Also importantly, Lithuania is relatively easy to access by plane and all price tags are now in euros. Moreover, Lithuania is often thought of as a relatively safe country, free of, for example, divisive religious conflicts," Savickas says.
He has heard many of his business clients complimenting Lithuania's service sector - foreigners are happy with the service culture and quality.
"Many people in Lithuania speak several foreign languages, which is not taken for granted in some countries. So there is a whole bunch of reasons to see Lithuania, media spot them and there starts the snowball effect reinforcing the message and expanding its reach," Savickas thinks.
Growing popularity
The State Tourism Department says that Lithuania's moment of fame began several years ago.
"Over the last several years, Lithuania has been among leading European countries in terms of growing tourist flows," says the department's spokeswoman Edita Gaigalienė. "This draws media's attention and make them look into Lithuania, its tourism potential, culture, sites, people."
She says that media tours have contributed to Lithuania making into Lonely Planet's list.
"After this recognition - a veritable tourism Oscar award - there was a chain reaction: Lithuania as a must-see place was reported by Forbes, Business Insider, CNN and other reputable outlets," Gaigalienė says.
According to the State Tourism Department, Lithuania has been in Ethical Travel's list of top ten ethical destinations since 2013. The criteria used by the American organization include environmental protection and authentic cultural experience.
"All these factors are good for tourism growth. We have noticed growing interest in Lithuania in international tourism fairs, there have been more enquiries from foreign media, people want to come and take part in the State Tourism Department's tours," Gaigalienė says.

Despite growing interest in Lithuania, the country still feels it has image issues. A blow that many Lithuanians still cannot forget was when Hollywood actor Mel Gibson called them "sharp-toothed" and "armed with baseball bats".
"No one associates Lithuanians with that image any more, but we still do not work on our image enough, one still wonders why there are such preconceptions about Lithuania in the first place," Savickas says. "It might have to do with historical facts and ideas about Eastern Europe. We have yet to define for ourselves what Lithuania's image should be."
According to experts, each mentioning in international press brings benefit to the country, although it is hard to estimate how much exactly, in terms of tourist numbers.
"When a person hears about Lithuania once, twice, three times, after some time they feel the urge to check flights. In marketing, we talk of a factor like the number of tries - therefore when introducing a new product, it is important to have people try it, for example, taste a food product. The same applies to tourism - if there is a business trip and a person must come for a conference, they get to see the country and get a good impression. This means that preconceptions are much worse than reality," Savickas notes.
He adds that there is a link between venues chosen for business meetings and destinations later chosen for leisure trips. Therefore choosing a right places to host an international conference is an effective way to encourage tourism.