Changing consumer behavior and lifestyles lead to increasing needs of tourists. The desire to get to know other cultures, gain unique experiences or acquire new skills encourages people to travel to other countries and gives opportunity for tour operators to offer new niche or personalized products. Tourism promotion campaigns also change over time – the growing importance of information technology in travel planning is leading to better and more comprehensive tourism promotion tools.
Recreational fishing is also gaining in popularity as one of the categories of niche tourism – inshore and maritime tourism is a major maritime activity in Europe, and many local fishing companies are also active in tourism sector.
Lithuania as a country is attractive for its geographical location and tourism resources. However, the potential of tourism is still not fully exploited due to the lack of awareness and recognition of the country and the lack of information on basic and niche tourism products, including angling tourism.
The aim of the study is to systematically review the current tourism situation in Lithuania and its seaside, assess the supply and demand of niche tourism, including angling tourism, in the overall context of tourism products. In addition, the study reviews the best fishing tourism practices in Baltic region countries and offer recommendations for co-operation between countries as well as promotion of niche tourism products and recreational fishing in Lithuania.
This summary in English includes the overview of the tourism situation in Lithuania, the analysis of three best foreign practices of angling tourism and the main findings of the whole study. The remaining sections of the study can be found in a full version of study in Lithuanian language.