The Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association is the largest organization representing the hospitality business in Lithuania, operating for more than 25 years.

List of board members of LHRA 2019-2022

LHRA unites more than  300 members – hotels, restaurants, entertainment companies in Vilnius, Kaunas, Trakai, Klaipėda, Palanga, Neringa, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Alytus, Marijampolė, Druskininkai, Mažeikiai and other cities. Vocational training institutions, higher education institutions, and supply companies  are also members of Association.

Some facts & statistics

• HORECA sector is the largest job-creating sector in the world.
  • Our association members create about 13,300 jobs.
  • LHRA members operate 120 hotels, guest houses, motels and represent about 6600 rooms.
  • 20 educational institutions are members of LHRA – schools that train specialists of various levels for hotels and restaurants.
  • More than 30 supplying companies joining LHRA while providing various services and products (food, beverages, furniture, bedding, dishes, IT solutions, etc.).
• LHRA –member of Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists lpk.lt
• LHRA- member of Lithuanian Chamber of Tourism turizmorumai.lt
• LHRA-member of HOTREC since 2004. HOTREC unites 40 national Associations in 25 European states. hotrec.eu
• LHRA-member of HSU since 2010. Lithuania has joined the common harmonized European hotel classification system in 2012. www.hotelstars.eu.

With Lithuania’s accession to the European Union, the country’s economy rising and the business environment improving, both local business and foreign investment, hotel and restaurant business began to expand particularly rapidly, and many saw the perspectives to extend hospitality services  for providing these services.

The role of a strong and unified association is very significant, therefore only a strong organization is able to unanimously protect the rights and legitimate interests of association members in government and local management institutions, to create favorable conditions for its members, to support their business activities and mutual cooperation, to ensure the exchange of relevant information, to provide all kinds of methodological assistance.

The Association has achieved a lot and our main task remains – to create and to adjust the laws   municipal resolutions for the benefit of its members.

Our association sees tourism as great potential of Economy, therefore we have sought and will continue to make tourism a priority branch of the Lithuanian economy, and inbound tourism – as export services (the Law on VAT stipulates that this tax is not paid by companies exporting goods and services). According to the data of  HOTREC, as many as 24 out of 27 EU countries, including all neighboring Lithuanian countries, apply a reduced VAT rate to accommodation services. EU countries thus promote exports, tourism and job creation. LHRA strongly protects tax stability and 9% VAT rate applied to accommodation services in Lithuania.

Many European countries also apply reduced VAT to the restaurant business. It is a sector that creates very high added value, as it both produces a good and provides a service. As a result, the European Commission has recommended a reduced VAT rate not only for hotels but also for restaurants. E.g. In France, during the economic crisis, the VAT rate for restaurants was reduced from 18.5% to 5.5%. The application of more flexible taxes and the reduction of bureaucratic burdens allow companies in the sector to maintain jobs and to create new ones, to reduce unemployment, and to increase consumption imports.

The restaurant sector can also make a significant contribution to curbing the emigration of young people, as flexible work schedules allow students to combine work and study. In small towns, restaurants organize various events and represent the function of cultural centers. The association has prepared a study on how to justify reduced VAT on restaurant services.

The association is active in various EU projects in promoting tourism services, training professional skills of sector’s employees, enhancing cooperation between business and education, promoting apprenticeship. We participate in many international projects as well. More about the projects in which we participate https://lvra.lt/projektai

The Lithuanian Association of Hotels and Restaurants was a pioneer in Lithuania in organizing Lithuanian chefs, waiters, bartenders ‘championships, waiters’ marathons, and inbound tourism business missions “Buy Lithuania”.

Being numerous and powerful, the Lithuanian Association of Hotels and Restaurants benefits from producers and suppliers. There is a number of privileges and discounts available for our members.