Lithuania Tourism Head Hands In Resignation Following The Use Of Fake Photos For Travel Campaign

Lithuanian Department Of Tourism Head Jurgita Kazlauskiene announced her resignation after it was discovered the Lithuanian tourism promotion photos used in the social media campaign were of locations outside the country.The State Tourism Department director gained instant Internet fame after the media reported about the Department of Tourism luring foreigners with photos not located in Lithuania.

The department made a Facebook page titled "Lithuania. Real Is The Beautiful," according to BBC, and the page used stock photographs available from Shutterstock and Flickr. The BBC noted the irony of the campaign, mentioning that even Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skverlenis joked about the gaffe but immediately said in social media that he would initiate an investigation into the matter.

In its earlier attempts to contain its public relations damage, the Lithuanian Department of Tourism said the page had reached through travelers through communicating "emotion" or the urge to travel to Lithuania to travelers. The campaign began in October 2016 to boost the country's tourism economy.

Kazlauskiene was head of Lithiuania's Department of Tourism since January 2015. She might have received ire regarding the error but many claim the content marketing service is heavily to blame for the use of irrelevant stock footage. According to The Baltic Times, a spokeswoman for the department said that the content marketing company had not violated any contract conditions and said the department did not specify the location of the photographs it needed.

Despite receiving online flak, Lithuania is still a celebrated tourism spot. According to Lonely Planet, Lithuania is recognized as "one of Europe's gems" with Vilnus still beautiful with its old age but modernized buildings, bustling nightlife and the character and charm of the Baltic region's beaches. Lonely Planet advises visiting "The Hill of Crosses" in Siauliai or the lake castle found in Trakai Historical National Park.