What is more, Lithuanians more and more often choose Neringa, Palanga, and Sventoji for their vacations. "Our main tourists are Lithuanians. Vacations in Palanga do not need much planning; one can come here just for a weekend getaway.
Lithuanians often plan their holidays spontaneously and appreciate entertainment services in Palanga and other seaside towns," said Egidija Smilingiene, head of Palanga Tourism Information Centre. She reminds that holidaymakers who stay at hotels, guest houses and other accommodation places will have to pay a EUR 0.3 "pillow" tax per day.
Darius Miklovas, president of Palange Hotel and Restaurant Association, is also optimistic about the upcoming holiday season. According to him, although it is noticeable that there are fewer Russian tourists in Palanga, still many of them choose the Lithuanian seaside town. What is more, some of them have been replaced by Russian-speaking guests from Belarus. Signs of approaching summer are already present in Palanga: streets are filled with people on weekends. Guests are not afraid of slightly higher prices.
According to Miklovas, the price hike is related to the euro adoption: businesses rounded up prices in order to ease settlements. "In summer prices of course could grow a bit," he said.
