For tourism businesses in Southeastern Estonia, summer is typically the busiest time of year, with plenty of work to go around — but this year has been different.

"Occupancy has dropped by about 30 percent — at least for the first two months that just ended," said Triinu Vähi, a board member at Taevaskoja Tourism and Holiday Center.

She noted that July is also shaping up to be relatively quiet, with occupancy down around 20 percent.

"But August is looking really promising — there isn't a single free day," Vähi said.

Even so, she noted that this fall is expected to be "very, very quiet" compared to booking in previous years.

Several local food service businesses have compared this year and this summer to the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when orders dropped sharply and economic uncertainty was widespread.

"I think the main issue really has to do with various tax hikes and new taxes being added, because you can already see more caution in people's spending habits," said Eve Veski, the owner of Tillu Cafe in Põlva.

"March and April too — [it's been noticeable] since then already," she continued. "I think the poor weather has just amplified it all."

This time last year, Põlva Wakepark was drawing significantly more visitors. In fact, the floating water park on Lake Põlva saw nearly as many visitors a day last June as it did over the entire month this year.

Still, there are wakeboarders who aren't deterred by the cold water or weather.

 "There are the serious enthusiasts — they still come out, they're still riding," said Põlva Wakepark director Martin Bachmann. "But those who are a bit less daring or maybe more sensitive to the weather — there have been a lot fewer of them this year."

According to Bachmann, it really has come down to the weather this summer.

"We've had a lot of cloudy, windy days — some very windy — and a lot of rain, so people just haven't really gotten into a beach mood yet," he said.

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