{"id":6474,"date":"2015-07-22T14:56:39","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T12:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/?p=6474"},"modified":"2015-07-23T14:50:05","modified_gmt":"2015-07-23T12:50:05","slug":"lithuania-ecotourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecobnb.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/lithuania-ecotourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Respect for the environment and tourism: is it possible? An example from the Baltic"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the past decades we have witnessed the steadily increasing interest for ecotourism<\/strong> in all over the world. Some European countries have already established quite a solid commitment to develop ecotourism and have generated a rapidly growing number of conscious tourists which choose the respect for environmental integrity, cultural and historical heritage and local traditions rather than commodities offered by mass tourism. Other countries instead are on their way, among them, one of the Baltic States \u2013 Lithuania.<\/p>\n

\"Elektrenu
Elektrenu Savivaldybe, Contea di Vilnius, Lituania, ph. by Eugenijus Radlinskas, via flickr<\/div><\/div>\n

In Lithuania<\/strong> sustainable tourism is getting more and more popular among the travellers. This country has all the requirements to become an attractive destination for nature lovers. The State Department of Tourism promotes historical and natural sites and raise awareness on the need to travel responsively: conservation of natural and cultural resources, observation of the nature without unnecessary interfering and using ecological transportation are the cornerstones of successful sustainable travelling.<\/p>\n

\"Aukstaitijos
Aukstaitijos National Park, Lithuania, ph. by jo.sau, via flickr<\/div><\/div>\n

These principles can be easily implemented in most of the popular touristic locations of Lithuania. One of them, rich in its biodiversity and natural beauty, is the National Park of Aukstaitija<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The National Park was established in 1974. Covering more than 40.574 hectares, it contains 126 lakes<\/strong>, small rivers and abundant fauna and flora. Taking into consideration natural features and efficient organization of the Park, it\u2019s possible to perform a variety of activities suitable for ecotourism. The travellers are invited to enjoy water adventures using canoes<\/strong> or wooden boats<\/strong> either to choose numerous trekking<\/strong> and \u201chealth\u201d paths.<\/p>\n

\"Wood
Wood boats in Lithuania, ph. by Angel, via flickr<\/div><\/div>\n

For those who are attracted by nature and its observation, it\u2019s a perfect place to discover unique vegetation, characterized by ancient trees, especially pine trees, and typical plants and flowers of the area. Another interesting activity is birdwatching<\/strong> as far as the Park is home to different birds, most of them in danger of extinction. The Administration of the Aukstaitijos National Park also invites to use ecological means of transport such as bicycles, while using cars in most parts of the Park is prohibited.<\/p>\n

Another aspect of ecological tourism<\/strong> is cultural and historical heritage<\/strong> to be preserved. In the Aukstaitijos National Park there is a great number of historical monuments and traces, starting from the Stone Age. The ancient ethnographic villages<\/strong> represent Lithuanian traditions and are well conserved with typical architecture and utensils. Here it\u2019s also possible to observe local people doing some craft works.<\/p>\n\n\t\t