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Statistics Lithuania informs that the number of overnight trips of foreigners in 2008, against 2007, grew by 8.5 % (from 1.5 million in 2007 to 1.6 million in 2008), while that of the same-day trips – by 4.4 % (from 2.7 million in 2007 to 2.8 million in 2008). 

In 2008 most foreign visitors arrived to Lithuanian for one or more overnight stays for leisure, one-third of them – for business purposes. In 2008, against 2007, more rapid increase in the number of business trips was observed, while the number of leisure trips remained almost unchanged. Every third tourists had visited Lithuania for the first time. Last year, the average time of foreigner’s trip in Lithuania made 4.9 nights (in 2007 – 5.4 nights).

In 2008, most overnight visitors arrived from Russia (14 %, or 227.3 thous.), Belarus (13 %, or 208.6 thous.), Latvia (11 %, o r 182.0 thous.), Poland (11 %, or 181.5 thous.), Germany (10 %, or 166.9 thous.). In 2008 against 2007, the most rapid increase was observed for the trips from Latvia – by 53 %, Belarus – by 20 %, Poland – by 14 %. The number of trips to Lithuania from the EU countries increased by 9 % (in 2008 – 988.3 thous., in 2007 – 906.4), from other countries (other than EU countries) – by 8 % (in 2008 – 623.0 thous., in 2007 – 579.4 thous.).

Most popular places visited by foreign tourists were Vilnius – 63 %, Kaunas – 24 %, Klaipėda – 21 %, Trakai – 13 %, and Palanga – 11 %. Almost all (95 %) of foreign tourists gave very good or good assessment to their trips in Lithuania.

Foreigners usually go to the same-day trip for shopping (33 %) or business (28 %). In 2008, same-day visitors in Lithuania spent LTL 915.9 million, which is by 9.6 % more than in 2007. Almost half (43 %) of spending was for shopping.

A bit more than half of foreigners used road transport – 56 %, air transport – 36 %, railway – 6 %, sea transport – 2 %.