Crimea: What’s the Outlook for Summer?

Adriana Smirnova, 05.03.2014 11:08

The latest developments in the Crimea have had a negative effect on the sales for the destination. Travel companies report that bookings for the local resorts have come to a halt, while a part of the customers opted out of the previously booked tours.

“People stopped booking tours to the Crimea in our company last week, about 10% of clients canceled their trips, and a part of the tourists are waiting to see the outcome of the situation in Ukraine, ready to switch to another destination if necessary,” General Director of Delfin Sergei Romashkin told TRN magazine.

The expert added that even if the situation in the region were to stabilize sometime in the near future, the Crimea would still lose at least 50% of the Russian tourist flow.

Domestic Tourism Director at Solvex-Travel Sergei Strebkov says that demand has been largely affected by not-quite-truthful mass media reports.

“I have recently been to the Crimea, and all the demonstrations there were peaceful. The region wants the legitimate government reestablished. Our media ‘cherry-picks’ only the more negative moments, usually taking them out of context. Some of our clients have canceled tours to the Crimea, but the majority of bookings remain,” he said.

The expert also says that the drop in the Crimean sales for the summer season may range from 10 to 30% as compared to 2013.

Crimea Specialist at Astravel Igor Velikiy agrees that last year’s results are now unreachable no matter what.

Resorts and Tourism Minister of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Alexander Liyev have said earlier that “despite the objective risks that stem from the political crisis, the blow to Ukraine’s tourist reputation and growth of competition in the Black Sea Region, the Crimean people are preparing for the travel season. Renovation of hotel rooms is underway, as well as repairs, reconstructions and building of hotels, restaurants and health resorts.”

As of 2014, there are 467 health resorts in the Crimea, more than 5,000 hotels and mini-recreation centers, 583 beaches, 12,000 cultural heritage sites, 17,000 restaurants and cafés. The peninsula has been visited by 85 thousand people during the period starting January 1.

According to the latest press reports, a new government has been established in the Crimea. The republic’s parliament and cabinet were taken over the day before.