Rural tourism is overwhelmed by canceled holidays, and questions about the passport also arise: it would be mandatory not to consult the client

Holidays are a painful part of rural tourism

With the lifting of restrictions on movement between municipalities, residents felt freer and some farms announced that there were no more weekends available for a month ahead or even for a few days; everything was suddenly reserved. A. Vaitkuvienė says that the first wave of interest has not yet subsided, but points out that rural tourism is highly dependent on the weather.

“It just came to our notice then. We are waiting for better forecasts when everyone falls into nature and wants to relax in the field. We are currently monitoring bookings for later periods – people reserve seats in July and August for a week or two We see that they are planning their holidays in Lithuania this year, ”says the president of the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association, adding that today the sauna is still a popular service, but only a family can relax in it.

According to A. Vaitkuvienė, both this season and this year, holidays are a painful part of rural tourism.

“Many weddings have been canceled, especially many business events canceled because the speakers cannot come from abroad, so the events are postponed for a better time. The camp issue is also very relevant: we see a significant decrease in the number of events and participants. We are eager to receive the Opportunity Passport, which would allow us to organize events safely, ”he says.

I see problems with the Opportunity Passport implementation

The Passport of Opportunities in Lithuania should start on May 24, but rural tourism does not yet know the order in which guests will be verified. The interlocutor also sees problems.

“So far, the government has not presented an order, we do not know the final version, but we see in the communication of the ministry that it will be something like plane flights and airports, when people will be verified if the passport is” green ” . or “red” before reaching the house.

Here is a little problem: if it is inspected by a service provider, then a rural tourism farm provides services to the client. If it is a wedding, the client will be the newlyweds or the wedding organizer, if the training, the client will be the organizer of the training. In this case, we only need to verify the customer, that is, the customer. And all the guests are a question of responsibility of the client ”, it indicates.

Among other things, A. Vaitkuvienė lacks a permit to train in the Passport of Opportunities.

“There was a lot of training: companies organized training that requires contact. Much of the training comes from the development of skills with the support of the EU. This deadline has been suspended, but it must be met, companies are very much looking for opportunities. At the moment, there is no training in the Opportunities Passport as far as public information has been seen. We have approached and asked the Ministry of Economy and Innovation to pay attention to this, because not everything will be learned “online”, contact is needed, especially in accommodation and service areas, where people interact with people, “he says.

A new way to relax has become popular

Small parties of up to 10 people can now be held if all participants are immune to COVID-19. However, the president of the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association has not found out.

The interviewee emphasizes that during the pandemic the so-called work, which combines work and rest, became especially popular.

“This new way of working and relaxing became very popular during the pandemic in Lithuania, especially in the farms that are closer to the big cities, near Vilnius, that is, the Molėtai district or near Kaunas, so that if there is an important case, you can go to work. Farms with separate family cabins were popular both last season and this season, not necessarily in the summer and fall, in the spring. People look a lot for places where they can escape from the city and from the apartment to spend a month or more in nature, ”says A. Vaitkuvienė.

How do the prices change?

Surveys show that most Lithuanians will spend their holidays in Lithuania, so this summer shouldn’t be bad for spas or rural tourism. How will the pandemic and rising rental demand affect farm prices?

“The higher the demand, the higher the prices. In rural tourism, a quiet holiday – homestay – does not make up the majority of income, we provide services throughout the season, but this is a relatively small income.

Our main earnings come from events, camps, family celebrations, and conferences. These events allow us to accumulate income, “drops” that allow us to survive the winter. Without this opportunity, having a quiet vacation only makes it difficult for rural tourism to survive. Small farms that only work during the season, where there is a family business, will survive, but it is extremely difficult for larger farms with more employees and higher taxes, ”says the interlocutor.

The president of the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association says that during the pandemic, the farms themselves are changing: People are also looking for a quiet holiday in nature. We note that the farmhouses are equipped with suitable places for quiet rest, such as bathing in the forest, places of meditation, etc. “