Lithuania aims to establish itself among Europe’s best-known gastronomic destinations within the next decade as part of a new national strategy to promote tourism, attract investment and strengthen the country’s international image, officials said Thursday.
The Economy and Innovation Ministry said it has launched work on a national gastronomic tourism strategy, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year in cooperation with chefs, the tourism industry and other partners.
“Our biggest ambition over the next 10 years is to become a gastronomic mecca,” Darius Katinas, president of Bocuse d'Or Lithuania, told reporters. “It may sound utopian or impossible, but that is the goal.”
The strategy will also seek to encourage internationally renowned Lithuanian chefs to return home, attract major international food events and establish a Baltic Gastronomy and Innovation Centre in Lithuania.
Economy Minister Edvinas Grikšas said a survey conducted jointly with the national tourism promotion agency Travel Lithuania found that 79% of visitors choose Lithuania for its gastronomic experiences.
