Most of these new projects are located outside Kuressaare, the island's capital, TV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

The situation on Saaremaa has reached the point where, for example, in the town center of Kuressaare it is difficult to spot a local, given the tourist numbers.

Summer is naturally the most hotly anticipated period of the year for local businesses. One distinctive feature of the season is the richer selection of dining options available on both Saaremaa and neighboring Muhu.

Some businesses are effectively work only on a "pop-up" basis for the three months of summer, while others hope to remain open longer.

From the first category, Mikk Mägus, the director of the Lõunaranna sadamarestoran eatery, said: "There was previously a small harbor pub here, but now we opted to create a cool fish restaurant and bar. This is a four-month project."

Despite being several kilometers from the main highway, diners are surely coming, to the extent that sometimes demand outstrips supply.

One visitor, Irja, said she: "Came to the restaurant specifically to eat fish. I wanted to know if Muhu fish tastes different from Saaremaa fish."

Another pop-up restaurant, Kliff, has reopened for the summer in Panga, 40 kilometers from Kuressaare. The new owners have relocaetd there themselves and will stay open for longer, and say the prospect of remaining open in the off-season does not intimidate them.

Silja Vipre, owner of Kliff, said: "So September is just around the corner? So what, that doesn't change anything. We'll stay open for the winter too, as we will start producing our own meat and mayonnaise here. The restaurant will also be expanding."

Not only tourists but also local residents from the island itself are prepared to drive long distances – Saaremaa is over 2,600 square kilometers in area – to get a good evening dinner.

One islander, Raigo, said: "Many people around Saaremaa are doing the same. We've made it into a little tradition of ours to visit a couple of different places outside Kuressaare, every week. It's really cool to see that people are active and doing some different things. And life on Saaremaa is bustling in the summer months."

Nonetheless, well-known chef Toomas Leedu, is to close his restaurant in the fall, and will reopen next spring.

He said of other restaurateurs that "They can push and swim against the tide. But we put the figures into Excel, and I wouldn't argue with the ruler."

Leedu has run a restaurant at the Kuressaare Kuursaal for the past 13 years.

One thing is clear, AK reported: The reckoning on whether new market entrants and long-time operators alike have gathered enough resources to get through the winter will be known come the fall.

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