The arrival of a huge indoor winter sports center in the resort of Druskininkai, Lithuania is being welcomed by locals and officials as a way of boosting tourism to the increasingly popular country.
The Snoras Snow Arena, the first and only such attraction in the Baltic States, opened its doors last month, joining the resorts other attractions including the DruFunPark, an 18-hole golf course-the Wolf Golf Club - and the largest Aqua Park in the region.
The arena has three ski slopes stretched across eight hectares and has been constructed at a cost of €32 million.
"Druskininkai resort is one of the most popular places to visit all year round in Lithuania," said a spokesperson for the Lithuanian Tourism Office in the UK. The resort is gifted with mineral waters and curative mud and has been popular for centuries with Lithuanians”
However, the resort and indeed the Baltic state as a whole is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination with tourists from Western Europe who have been attracted by its architecture, Mediterranean weather and sandy beaches.
The country's popularity and low property prices could mean that investing in a rental home could be a savvy move. For example, Sunshine Estate are marketing 49 different types of brand new town house with shared tennis courts in Vilnius from €169k
A recent report from Vilnews.com revealed that visitor numbers from the UK, Lithuania's sixth largest market, were up 21% in the first quarter of this year and overall visitor numbers were up 39% on the same period of last year. In total, Lithuania attracted 1.5m tourists last year, a 10% rise on the previous year.