The rainy start to summer has cast a shadow over Lithuania’s rural tourism sector, with guesthouses reporting massive cancellations, with up to 80% of guests changing their plans, LRT reports.
Water-based businesses are also suffering, as people prefer a sauna to a boat in such weather. A lone boat bobs on the banks of the Levou River near Panevėžys. The only sound on Dainius Januškevičius’ farm is the sound of birdsong. Even during the summer solstice, there were no guests, and the owner says it has never been like this before. “In the spring, people called and booked for June. We didn’t ask for a deposit. Then, a few days before arrival, the calls started saying that the reservation was being canceled. About 80% of the reservations were canceled. It’s never been like this year.”
The situation in Vilkaviškės is similar. Vitas Girdauskas, head of the tourism and business center, said the season has started badly. Normally, there would be large groups of cyclists in the area, but this year there are none. This has also left restaurants and accommodation owners without customers.
Girdauskas said that in some places weekend reservations for private events are saving the situation, but on weekdays everything is empty.
Gediminas Ambraška, who has been renting kayaks in the Panevėžys area for ten years, agrees that he has never seen such a bad start to the summer. He has half as many customers as in previous years, but he says he has not given up hope for this season. Ambraška also added that the good news is that services that are usually not sought after in the summer – saunas and hot tubs – are in demand.
Agne Vaitkuvienė, president of the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association, noted that June is usually quieter – school holidays have not started everywhere. However, this year, bad weather has further reduced the number of tourists.
Vaitkuvienė said that there is a noticeable change in tourist preferences, that people no longer want to just lie by the lake or grill meat. According to her, people want to get to know the region, they ask where they can buy cucumbers or meat from local farmers, or where there is an interesting place to visit.
Last year, Lithuanian country accommodations experienced an influx of guests in September, and hosts hope that this will happen again this year, allowing them to recover the losses caused by the gray and wet June.
Read full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2600152/rainy-summer-leaves-lithuanian-countryside-retreats-nearly-empty
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