Lithuania Has a Secret Weapon for Tourism Success: Cold, Pink Soup

Šaltibarščiai is a source of culinary pride, and now it's fueling the Baltic country's marketing

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Šaltibarščiai is not a dish you’re likely to see very often outside of Lithuania, and, unless you’re a linguist, you’re not to likely to have much luck pronouncing it either–but the Baltic state is betting on it to help lure in more tourists, even if it does leave them tongue-tied.

Šaltibarščiai (pronounced “shull-tee-barsh-chay”) is a popular and traditional cold soup made with beetroot, which gives it a unique bright pink color.

As part of its latest campaign, Lithuania Travel, the country’s tourism board, has given Vilnius International Airport a bit of a makeover, rolling out a “pink carpet” for people as they arrive – or, more accurately, a bunch of pink circles on the floor leading to one giant image of Šaltibarščiai, which the team hopes will be an Instagram-worthy selfie spot.

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Vilnius International Airport has also been transformed with pink soup stickers as part of the campaign.Lithuania
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