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As early as spring, farm owners operating in the Panevėžys district knew how they would work in the summer. Weddings, anniversaries or business events are now being canceled one after another. Dainius Januškevičius, a businessman from the Panevėžys region, which has many rural tourism homes and restaurants, stated that an exceptional summer of survival awaits him this year. Ironically, only the famous speeches smile that this summer Lithuanians will not go abroad, they will vacation in their own country, therefore, all rural tourism farms will be full.
“I have been working in this field for seventeen years. There are farms suitable for celebrations, there are also cabins on the shore of a body of water, where it is enough to put a piece of ham, bread, something stronger and just enjoy nature. But we did not receive any calls, not even those interested in prices and employment, perhaps in Palanga and on vacation, but not on rural tourism farms in the Panevėžys district, ”says the businessman.
According to D. Januškevičius, all events and celebrations that were to take place before the beginning of June were canceled. Two dates previously reserved for private holidays have been canceled. The rest will be much more modest. In previous years, all weekends on the farm were reserved until mid-October, now they are available even in summer.
“It just came to our attention then. It has never been so that the wedding months of July and August are so empty. There will be a wedding, of course, not all the old ones will be left, but if you mean it, the summer will not be happy. Perhaps something will change, but there are no miracles ”, thinks D. Januškevičius.
According to him, human behavior shows that he saves money. The businessman has a resting place in Vilktupis, next to a cafeteria, gazebos. The parking lot is always full of cars, but people bring their own snacks, barbecues, and don’t need farms or saunas. On a rural tourism farm, a person costs ten to fifteen euros a day, and will have to pay extra for kayaking entertainment or the pleasures of the hot tub.
“Everyone is looking forward to the second wave of the virus. I myself try to spend less because I don’t know what will happen in the fall. Everyone is afraid of not losing their last pants,” said D. Januškevičius.
On the table – by the meter
Mindaugas Būtėnas, the homeowner in the Smiltynė single-family house in the Panevėžys district, also admits that the mood is very bleak. Panevėžys – no Molėtai, to attract tourists. The Samogitians have the “sea” of Plateliai, Vilnius – Trakai and Druskininkai, and the residents of Panevėžys cannot be proud of their natural beauty.
“It just came to our attention then. Locals prefer other routes, because from Kniaudiškės to Berčiūnai they will definitely not go on vacation. Foreigners, especially Latvians, who want to see another country, but not locals, came to us more often.” said the owner of the farm.
rural tourism
© Sekundė.lt
Panevėžys residents or emigrants from these countries most often chose the farm for weddings, christenings, anniversaries, but the quarantine interrupted even the plans of the wedding guests. Such a wedding, which used to gather 80-100 people, will not be heard this year. In the best case, 12 to 15 closest people will gather and the entire celebration will last not three days, but only three hours. On the one hand, there is still fear of infection, on the other hand, quarantine bans spoil the festive mood. After all, what can the songs be on the table, when the festival participants are sitting every meter.
“It just came to our attention then. Imagine a wedding where the participants would sit at the table every meter. Or between the partitions, then there will be balls for telecommunications managers, not weddings,” says the businessman.
Salvation – foreigners
International events have been one of the main sources of sustenance for rural tourism, but this year it has been exhausted. For example, this week he canceled an international camp for Italians, Ukrainians and other countries, to be held at the Smiltyne monastery in the Panevėžys district in mid-August. There are still a couple of months left, a lot can change, but everyone is afraid, a lot and uncertainty.
According to M. Būtėnas, the engine of the economy is young people, because they do not save: they earn as much as they spend, but there are not many left in Panevėžys.
“Panevėžys is the city with the lowest income, so what other rural tourism farms? The influx in our city is only when a new shopping center opens, “says the businessman.
In her opinion, people will only start celebrating when they feel safe.
“If a person can spend ten thousand euros for one night, knowing that he can win them again, he will celebrate.” These kinds of difficulties have affected not only us: flower vendors, food vendors, and limousine drivers will not receive orders. Until there is money from abroad, we will try, “says the owner of my house.
Forgive the children
Žydrūnas Račkauskas, the farm manager located in the picturesque Krekenava Regional Park, is not even expecting an influx of tourists. In contrast, rural tourism farm owners have to turn their heads like this summer and survive year-round without loss.
“The main reason why major vacations are canceled or postponed is that guests from abroad cannot come. We have already postponed three weddings for next year, and the others have decided not to do so at all. We still have planned vacations for the weekends, but they are much more modest, “said Ž. Račkauskas.
To prevent the farm from emptying on weekdays, a children’s summer camp was organized there for several years.
“At least for now, such an idea has paid off: Virtually all shifts are fully covered. Work days will be busy, but what will happen on weekends is difficult to predict,” said the farm manager.
Difficult start
Agnė Vaitkuvienė, President of the Lithuanian Rural Tourism Association, stated that the situation in Panevėžys is not exceptional. Throughout Lithuania, rural tourism farms are like two different poles. Those whose quiet rest area has separate cabanas by the water or in a beautiful location do not complain about the requests and see their numbers growing. People are looking for a place for a week or at least a weekend getaway with family or a group of friends. But farms that are designed for celebrations and events receive very few orders after two months of full quarantine.
“If a wedding was planned for fifty people, now at best fifteen or twenty will attend. The situation is really bad so far, ”said A. Vaitkuvienė.
According to the association’s president, the empty rural tourism farms are also looking for other livelihood opportunities, for example, they began to provide accommodation services, invited them to picnics just to keep employees.
This summer, Lithuanians are encouraged to choose a vacation in their homeland for a vacation, but rural tourism farms are not receiving an influx of tourists, and orders are being canceled en masse.
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