German tourists began to cancel tours to the Baltic countries due to fears of the start of hostilities related to Ukraine and the problems of Kaliningrad transit. In particular, they are afraid to go on vacation to Lithuania – a popular vacation destination for residents of Germany. So far, analysts have not undertaken to assess how negative the wave of cancellations will be for the tourism sector. We will have to wait for the window of the season, they said.
According to the research of the Lithuanian tourism promotion agency Keliauk Lithuania, German travelers choose the Baltic Sea countries for their vacation due to their interest in culture, traditions, people, and the opportunity to visit neighboring countries within the framework of one tour. The Delfi portal cited the words of an experienced German tourist who spoke about his first trip to Lithuania, which he was satisfied with. The man managed to visit Vilnius, from there he came to Klaipeda by train. After Lithuania, which borders Kaliningrad, he planned to go to Latvia.
“I am in Lithuania for the first time. It is almost the last country in Europe that I have not yet visited. Before that, I traveled to Estonia,” he said, adding that he was interested in Lithuanian cuisine, especially zepelini (dumplings made of raw grated potatoes with a filling of minced meat).
According to Živila Tolušite, an employee of the Klaipeda Information and Tourism Center, German tourists who come to the city are looking for an opportunity to try national cuisine. In addition, they are looking for places where their parents once lived.
According to the research, Lithuania is usually chosen for travel by elderly Germans who are vacationing alone, as a couple, and with friends. According to statistics, many of them remained happy with their trip. This was expressed in the readiness to return again and in the desire to recommend this country for rest to others – this was done by every second German.
Tourists from Germany choose seaside holidays: Klaipeda, Palanga, Kursk Spit. According to statistics, almost every second vacationer in Klaipeda came from Germany before the outbreak of the coronavirus and the war in Ukraine.
However, today’s situation discourages regular vacationers from the Baltic Sea countries. So, the interlocutor of the publication admitted that his friends and acquaintances are dissuading him from the next trip. “People said that I should not go to Lithuania, Latvia, because the Russians can attack these countries, but I am not afraid, because I know that Lithuania and other Baltic countries are NATO, I know that many soldiers are stationed in Lithuania NATO” – the publication quoted his words.
Anxious moods among Germans regarding tourism to the Baltics are also floating among cruise tour enthusiasts. Many of them are canceling tickets bought earlier. “Thus, the German cruise line, Aida, refused visits not only to Lithuania but also to all three Baltic countries due to the threat of hostilities,” said the head of the Klaipeda Tourist Information Center Romain Savitzkene.
It also became known that the Aida cruise liner has already canceled four visits to Lithuania with German tourists. “We have information that the groups have canceled their visits to Lithuania, accommodation facilities that had reservations and contracts with German tour operators reported this,” Savitzkene clarified.
Germans refuse to make reservations or postpone trips to a later date and another tourist destination due to fears of the start of hostilities. At the same time, they will not share the interlocutor’s optimism about the power of NATO, which can protect travelers in Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
For these reasons, it is still impossible to calculate how much tourist traffic to the Baltic countries has decreased. Especially since the tourist season is not over yet.
DIP previously wrote that “Everything is too expensive: Turkey’s famous resort remains empty despite the peak tourist season.”