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Panevėžys entrepreneurs facing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: we feel ready for autumn

Due to the quarantine introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses in Panevėžys had to limit their activities. The region’s tourism sector has been hit particularly hard and has had to face challenges of unprecedented proportions. A survey conducted by the Panevėžys Development Agency showed that more than two-thirds of the companies operating in this field faced a huge decrease in the number of reservations and a decrease in the number of visitors. However, neither the Panevėžys city authorities nor the local businesses operating here gave up; and everyone took measures to overcome the challenges as the autumn season approaches.

Entrepreneurs make changes

Catering and cultural companies have adapted most flexibly to the changed conditions. The latter used the quarantine period to renovate their premises and started organizing virtual exhibitions. Catering companies have also found a way out (i.e. many of them have started to deliver food to people’s homes). For example, the “Kavalierius” café in the city centre delivered coffee beans to homes during the quarantine.

“In terms of turnover, this was only a small part of our normal income, but just knowing that people need, value, and order our products at home has helped to maintain optimism and prepare for renewal,” said Justinas Dalinda, the manager of the “Kavalierius” café.

At the same time, the owners of the shop and restaurant “Vasaris” rushed to open an e-shop just a week after the beginning of the quarantine and also invested in home delivery. They became one of the first to offer electronic trade of food products in Panevėžys.

“While we prepared this in a very short time, the store quickly gained a lot of interest and helped the business to survive in the spring months,” said Miglė Gruzdenė, the manager of the “Vasaris” store.

The pandemic also led to the arrival of some businesses in Panevėžys. One of them became the food delivery company “Bolt Food” – although the company did not plan to develop in Panevėžys in the first half of the year, the quarantine changed its plans as the relevance of such services increased. This not only helped the restaurants to survive the difficult period, but also created additional job opportunities for the people of Panevėžys.

Optimism remains as the cold season approaches

As the weather cools and the time approaches when cafés and restaurants will have to move in from the outdoor terraces, as well as more and more people hear about a possible second quarantine scenario or a stronger tightening of restrictions in public space, Panevėžys entrepreneurs admit that they are not afraid of this too much.

“This year, the warm weather allows us to operate on the outdoor terraces for much longer than usual, which is why we are very happy about it, although we do not worry too much about the closure of them. Inside, we have installed partitions between the tables so that the conditions inside the café meet all safety requirements. We are positive, we do not expect the same quarantine as we had in the spring, but we evaluate the situation carefully and we do prepare for it. We are also thinking about creating a permanent e-business,” said the manager of the “Kavalierius” café.

The manager of the “Vasaris” store also said that she had doubts whether a situation could arise when all catering companies would be closed again.

“However, even if it happens, we feel ready. We have developed a home delivery service, have an e-food store, and are still thinking about ways to make our goods and services more accessible. We maintain optimism about the future because we cannot change the situation; although we try to adapt as best as possible,” said Miglė Gruzdenė.

Institutions operating in Panevėžys take part

The Panevėžys Development Agency has also taken initiatives to preserve a sustainable tourism sector in the region. An analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the Panevėžys tourism sector has revealed that tour operators have been hit the hardest by the introduction of quarantine in Lithuania in the spring – the closed borders make it difficult for them to deal with the consequences of the pandemic. The transport sector is also going through difficult times. Although the temporary opening of the Baltic borders has helped to survive the summer, it is uncertain how the situation will turn when they will be closed again. 

We hope that various institutional initiatives will also help to solve the problems of businesses within the tourism sector. Working groups involving the tourism sector are already being set up. Together with tourism, marketing, and strategic planning experts, it is expected that a plan of measures will be developed to restore tourism flows after the pandemic. The creation of a clear and attractive tourism product that would encourage people to visit Panevėžys and discover it as a tourist city is also expected.

The coronavirus crisis undoubtedly highlighted the need for Panevėžys businesses to be able to flexibly adapt to the situation, offering consumers new products and services as well as communicating effectively. Increased awareness of the city as a tourist destination and the flow of incoming tourists is also expected.