Baltic States Tackle Tourism at Summit
VILNIUS, Lithuania, March 1, 2006. An international two-day conference called "Influence of EU Expansion on the Development of Tourism in Europe" began in Vilnius on Wednesday.
Presentations about new tourism trends in the expanding European Union are being considered by the delegation. Financial support allocated by the European Commission for the development of tourism is also a focus as is the new project "European Portal," and social, marine and rural tourism.
The conference is being held by the Lithuanian State Department of Tourism under the Ministry of that Economy together with the World Tourism Organisation.
Each country will have an opportunity to present its tourism situation, including the advantages and disadvantages that emerged after joining the EU.
Francesco Ianniello, head of Tourism Department under the European Commission; Robert Franklin Obe, head of European Travel Commission; and Bernard Geyer, head of the Confederation of National Associations of Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes and Similar Establishments in the European Union and European Economic Area (HOTREC), will visit Vilnius in order to participate in the conference.
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