Russian tourist industry faces near-collapse of tourist season in occupied Crimea

Only 2.7% of Russians who booked hotels and holiday accommodations in 2023 were willing to experience extreme tourism in near-frontline Crimea. Source: Kremlin-aligned newspaper Kommersant, citing a survey of Russian tour and hotel search and booking services. Details: For instance, Sletat.ru, a Russian tour search and booking service, said its sales statistics indicate that Crimea's share on the Russian domestic market fell to 2.7% over the summer [Russia considers Crimea annexed in 2014 to be a part of their territory, and therefore, regime-aligned websites, bodies, etc, include the peninsula to the Russian domestic market - ed.].

Another Russian booking service, Ostrovok, told the newspaper that the number of people wishing to holiday on the peninsula during the peak season has fallen by 50-60% compared to 2022.

The Twil booking service says the number of bookings in the cities of Sevastopol and Yevpatoriia has dropped by 66% and 69%, respectively. Consequently, the average night stay cost in the latter decreased by 21% to RUB 3,800 [roughly US£40 - ed.]. The Alean tour operator said it had seen a 50% drop in the number of bookings in Crimea this summer.

Meanwhile, Sergey Romashkin, vice-president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, states that the reluctance of Russians to travel to the occupied peninsula was influenced by the tense situation in Crimea, as well as the explosion and traffic jams on the Crimean bridge.

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Romashkin estimated that 3.7-3.9 million tourists visited the region in the first eight months of the year. Background:

• According to Russian statistics, Crimea set a record for tourist flows in 2021 with 9.5 million people.
•  In March 2023, Russia began preparing occupied Crimea for Ukraine's offensive.

  The Washington Post reported that the Russians had dug trenches tens of miles long on the peninsula's beaches by April, citing satellite images from the Maxar space company.

  Fortifications were under construction in the areas of the settlement of Medvedivka, Vitino and other parts of Crimea.

• Moreover, anti-tank obstacles, ditches and artillery were set up along the Black Sea coast.

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