VILNIUS LOGIC: What Makes Vilnius “Vilnius”?
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VILNIUS LOGIC: WHAT MAKES VILNIUS “VILNIUS”? VILNIUS LOCAL ACTION PLAN IN THE FRAME OF URBACT-CITYLOGO Aarhus | Alba Iulia | Coimbra | Dundee | Genoa | Oslo | Utrecht | Vilnius | Warsaw | Zaragoza CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 5 FOREWORD BY MAYOR ARTURAS ZUOKAS. 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . 8 ANALYSIS OF OPPORTUNITIES THE VILNIUS STORY . 10 VILNIUS LOGIC AND LOGO: VISION AND GOALS . 12 LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP INVOLVEMENT . 14 LOCAL STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT . 16 TOURISM, CULTURE, NGO AND YOUTH STAKEHOLDERS . 17 BUSINESS STAKEHOLDERS . 20 HOSPITALITY SERVICES AND CONVENTION STAKEHOLDERS . 23 AIRLITUANICA STAKEHOLDERS . 25 CONCLUSIONS . 26 RECOMMENDATIONS . 28 FILMFRIENDLY VILNIUS . 28 SMART VILNUS . 29 ECo-FRIENDLY VILNIUS . 30 CITY BREAKS . 31 ADDED VALUE OF URBACT CITYLOGO PROGRAM. 34 INTRODUCTION Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and the geographic center of Europe. It is a unique blend of old and new, traditional and cutting edge. With a population of just over half a million, its scale is refreshingly human. The vibrant and diverse city of Vilnius stands at a juncture of three cultures: Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe. It is a city unlike any other in its magical charm. It also has an element of quirkiness that makes it an unusual and fun destination. That parti- cular quirkiness does, however, have a certain and unique logic that can be felt throu- ghout. Vilnius has a proud history, a sound economy and a vibrant cultural life. Few other Euro- pean capitals combine urban sophistication with tradition as charmingly and seamles- sly as Vilnius. It has one of the fastest internet speeds in the world and ranks third in Wi-Fi accessibility in public spaces. Little wonder, then, that Vilnius is attracting more and more tourists, especially eco and gastronomic, business travelers and conference attendees every year. Lying at the crossroads of East and West, Vilnius is never more than three hours away from any destination by air. Its airport is less than 15 minutes away from the city center. The railway and bus stations are centrally located with fast and efficient public transpor- tation or taxi connections to the main areas of the city and hotels. A recent study showed that tourists appreciate Vilnius as a green, clean, and tidy city, especially the beautiful Old Town and cultural heritage. They have identified the main advantages of Vilnius as the city’s cultural heritage, environment, people, good emo- tional city atmosphere, and a developed infrastructure for accommodation and food establishments, and most of them were satisfied with their visits. There are a large variety of cultural performances and events and enough activities for a city break or weekend excursion. Vilnius is like an open book with vivid illustrations of the history of Europe through its varied architecture. The Old Town of Vilnius is among the largest in Eastern and Central Europe and is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Lithuanian capital is the largest ba- roque city in Northern and Eastern Europe. The labyrinthine streets of Old Town, its sle- ek business district and elegant center all stand side by side in harmony. There are many large open squares and parks as well as suburban areas with historical wooden houses. Almost half of Vilnius is covered in open green spaces. The city boasts some of the cle- anest air and the purest drinking water in Europe. There is a well-developed system of cycle lanes that is complemented by a network of bright orange bicycle rental stands found at many locations throughout the city. Vilnius’ parks and gardens provide a ple- asant respite from the pace of the city and are a perfect destination for eco-tourists. Everyone appreciates the good quality of life in Vilnius. Most residents rate Vilnius posi- tively and introduce their city to foreign guests as a green and cozy city with an authen- tic Old Town. It could therefore be concluded that Vilnius is uniquely green, clean, tidy, comfortable, modern, lively and active. Vilnius is a city of friendly people with a good atmosphere. A recent study showed that the natural resources and events in Vilnius mean it’s a green and active city with sports-oriented residents. The Lithuanian capital is well known for its wide variety of high quality events. The most popular are Casimir’s Fair, the Street Music Fair, the Vilnius Festival series, New Baltic Dance, Baltic Contemporary Art Triennial, the international Skamba Skamba Kankliai 4 5 folklore festival, the international Sirenos theatre festival, Vilnius Jazz, other interna- tional professional art and folklore festivals, Capital Days, the international ArtVilnius FOREWORD BY MAYOR contemporary art fair, the Kristupas Summer Festival, and the Piano.lt Summer Festival. These events need to be integrated into the new city logo program. ARTURAS ZUOKAS There are many opportunities for Vilnius to succeed in attracting more visitors. It has a very highly developed IT axis on which to position itself for attractiveness as a Smart Thanks to CityLogo and URBACT, we have this wonderful opportunity to share with you City to not only the business traveler, but also to the short term tourist. our strategy and actions on how to best promote Vilnius. We can only achieve this by working together. All of us are a part of the process and we are depending on your There are conference venues in Vilnius for over a thousand participants and the annual enthusiasm, support and active involvement. Everyone is important: each person, insti- CONVENE exhibition that attracts buyers from around Europe has become a popular tution, association, business and stakeholder. venue that can be utilized in further strengthening Vilnius’ image and new logo. Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is a green city with an area that is four times larger than Another type of tourist that Vilnius is interested in is the foreign filmmaker. Lithuania Paris and is twice the size of Milan. Its Old Town exudes a baroque style and has been introduced a 20% rebate in 2013 in order to specifically attract foreign filmmakers. With designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lennon has replaced Lenin here, we have the a highly professional film industry, albeit even lacking a strong infrastructure, Vilnius is best quality tap water in Europe and CNN says that Vilnius is one of the next generation now positioned as a cinema-friendly city. smart cities. And those are only a few highlights. Vilnius also continues to strongly attract through its variety of cultural venues and Our aim is to strengthen Vilnius’ identity and to make the city more attractive by dra- events. The Bohemian Užupis Republic, the Frank Zappa monument, the “I LOVE YOU” wing people’s attention to our unique, distinctive and interesting features – the type of note made of annual flowers on the Neris embankment, etc. all show creativity and things that make Vilnius cool, you might say. Those are the things make up Vilnius Logic. once again stress the quirky “logic” of Vilnius that has been identified as its strong point. Vilnius Logic is what makes Vilnius Vilnius. Vilnius Logic defines Vilnius itself – its histo- This cultural sector of stakeholders in particular needs to be brought on board. ry, its people, its culture, its geography, its customs, its art and architecture, its nightlife, Further, gastronomic tourism is fast becoming a new trend worldwide. Vilnius has star- food, everything, the totality of the city. ted to develop in this particular direction and sees a great potential in moving forward CityLogo was a superb platform to share ideas, work together and to position our cities via great food, interesting desserts, food tasting weeks, etc. better on the world’s map. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other and Vilnius and Lithuania have received exceptional attention lately as a top tourist desti- to plan our future actions. The main aim of this plan was to identify what is most positi- nation. Among the most recent have been ranked number 3 in Lonely Planet’s Best in ve about Vilnius and to make it stronger, louder, brighter, better. And, I am very thankful Travel 2015. CNN’s report: Small but Lively Lithuania has Taken the Plunge and Adopted that my team from Vilnius with Ms. Irma Juskenaite as its head was able to contribute the Euro noted that, “Now the country is a vibrant mix of east and west Europe”, For- towards our joint success. bes also included Lithuania as one of the Top 3 Top Travel Destinations for 2015. The You will find here not only the strategy, but also the actions we need to undertake in Telegraph included Vilnius as among the best Christmas markets in Europe. The New order to understand and appreciate Vilnius better. Utilizing the knowledge that we have York Times included Vilnius in its list of Top Ten “Hip Cities that Think about How They gained through the CitiLogo program, we have been able to choose those programs Work…The city attracts young professionals who see in Vilnius a rising star in business that have already been started and to integrate Vilnius Logic into them (Gastronomic and appreciate all that the extensive cultural scene in the little capital has to offer.” Vilnius, Conference Vilnius, Vilnius Events, Business Vilnius, etc.) and we are ready to It is the intention of this particular Local Action Plan to pull all of these various elements implement many more. We couldn‘t have done it without your help. together and steer them in the direction of a united message for Vilnius through its new city logo. Arturas ZUOKAS Vilnius Mayor 6 7 However, this plan surely needs to be stepped up. A further hindrance is that the stra- tegy suggested did not have a implementation tactics clearly set out.