Lithuanians seem to relate the coming Vilnius – European Capital of Culture 2009 events with a better quality of life and the promotion of the city rather than cultural events.

Simplified rules concerning the use of arms and the accession to the Schengen visa area that has abolished border controls have made Estonia even more attractive for foreign hunting tourists.

Owners of hotels and cafes on the Lithuanian coastline are the first to experience the benefits that low-cost flights from Oslo to Palanga, offered by Norwegian Air Shuttle, are giving.

Jaan Ratnik, member of the boards of AS Sanatoorium Tervis and OU Tervise Paradiis, says that the role model for opening a Parnu-Stockholm flight route is the Lithuanian resort of Palanga, where there are up to 10 times more tourists than in Parnu, largely, he says, due to its direct flights.

An underground city exists under the Old Town of Vilnius – an old system of drains and underground tunnels that is barely used now.

Tour operator Novaturas expects to boost its turnover by 36% this year to LTL 522 million (EUR 151 million).

Yuriy Zudov, president of the Latvian Association of Hotels and Restaurants, says that competition among Latvian hotels has become intense.

The updated website of the tourism development department at Enterprise Estonia, www.puhkaeestis.ee, will find domestic holiday packages from among more than 100 different offers under the name 'Spend a Vacation in Estonia'.

Sanitex, Lithuania's largest distribution and logistics company, may soon become the sole owner of flyLAL-Lithuanian Airlines.

airBaltic CEO Bertolt Flick has received a letter by Linas Dovydenas, his counterpart from flyLAL Group, which calls on the Latvian company to take into account the needs of the market and cut fare prices “following the example of flyLAL-Lithuanian Airlines”.

Enterprise Estonia is organising a public tender to find a partner for a EEK 150 million (EUR 26.5 million) marketing campaign meant to introduce Estonia as “the best tourism destination in Europe”.

The 17th international travel fair will take place on 15.-17.02.2008 at the Estonian Fairs exhibition centre.

Dundaga, February 14. Changes have occured in this year’s lecturer list. Instead of Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth another well known Austrian composer  - Johannes Maria Staud (1974) will join workshop. Despite his young age the composer has achieved serious international success – win in the international composers’ tirbune Rostrum, received Ernst von Siemens music prize, which is given to most prominent and experienced composers.

Riga, February 11. The Latvian airline airBaltic carried 151,395 passengers in January 2008, or 34% more than in the same month in 2007, when airBaltic flew 112,866 passengers. As for flights originating from Riga, the number of passengers in January saw a 37% increase, whereas the market share for Riga grew to 45.8% (or 4.8% growth on a year earlier).