A rainy start to summer has cast a shadow over Lithuania’s rural tourism sector. Country homesteads are reporting mass cancellations, with some saying up to 80% of guests have backed out. Businesses offering water-based activities are also struggling, as tourists favour saunas over kayaks.
On the banks of the River Lėvuo in Karsakiškis, near Panevėžys, a lone boat floats unused. Nearby, empty rocking chairs sway in a gazebo once lively with guests. At Dainius Januškevičius’ rural homestead, the only sound is birdsong. Not even the midsummer Joninės festival brought guests this year – this has never happened before, he says.
“Back in spring, people were calling and booking for June. We didn’t ask for deposits. But just a few days before arrival, they’d call to cancel. Around 80% of bookings have been dropped. I’ve never seen a year like this,” he told LRT.
The situation is much the same in Vilkaviškis, where tourism and business centre head Vitas Girdauskas says the season began very poorly. Normally, the area would be welcoming large cycling groups from abroad – but not this year. The knock-on effect has left restaurants and accommodation providers without customers.
“Weekend bookings for private events are helping some homesteads, but during weekdays there are hardly any visitors. A person wakes up, and looks out the window –if it’s raining, why bother going? So, they cancel and postpone. This goes on and on. It’s already clear that this summer will be worse for countryside tourism than last year, just like it is for cafés with outdoor seating. It’s a very tough season,” Girdauskas said.
Gediminas Ambraška, who has rented kayaks in the Panevėžys region for a decade, agrees that he's never seen a worse start to summer. His client numbers are down by half.
“This time of year is usually our peak. We never take deposits – we understand that if the weather’s bad, we won’t send people out anyway. But right now, it’s just losses. Everything was ready for the season. We were hopeful. Still are,” he added with a smile.
Ambraška says one bright spot has been the growing popularity of services that were rarely requested in summer.
“When it rains all week and people are stuck with nothing to do, suddenly the sauna and hot tub become much more attractive. No one used to want those things in summer. But now, with no sun and cold air, people are choosing to warm up instead,” he said.
Dr Agnė Vaitkuvienė, President of the Lithuanian Countryside Tourism Association, notes that June is typically a quieter month, as school holidays haven’t yet started. But this year’s poor weather has decreased visitor numbers even further.
However, she says there’s been a noticeable shift in tourist preferences.
“We’ve seen that people no longer just want to lie by the lake or grill meat. They’re choosing more experiential trips. They want to explore the region,” Vaitkuvienė said. “They ask us where to buy cucumbers or local meats from farmers, or what interesting places they can visit nearby. This shift slightly boosts tourism numbers, and the weather isn’t as critical for this kind of experiential tourism.”
Last year, countryside retreats saw a surge in guests during September. Rural tourism hosts are hopeful that the same pattern will repeat this year – helping to offset losses from an unusually soggy June.
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