entered by National Tourism Development Agency Lithuania Travel

Gastrotourism is on the rise; WTO data shows that the culinary experience of a destination is an important factor for 88% of travellers, and around a third of an average trip budget is spent on trying our new flavours. In Lithuania, ‘trying the local cuisine’ is the main tourist activity for inbound travellers, with 84% of visitors partaking.

But what is this local cuisine that tourists are trying? A 2019 SWOT analysis of Gastronomy Tourism showed that Lithuanians – unlike Georgians or Italians – don’t have a unified and shared vision of their national cuisine. Fifty years of Soviet occupation was followed by the adoption of fast-food culture in the ‘90s, leaving little opportunity in between for local food culture to develop. The last five years, however, have seen the beginnings of a rediscovery and reimagining of Lithuanian cuisine. They just needed to use this momentum to solidify Lithuania’s culinary identity in a way that would aid their tourism and that Lithuanians themselves would be proud of.