Authorities in occupied Crimea admit that their tourist season has failed
ALONA MAZURENKO – WEDNESDAY, 13 JULY 2022, 18:53
Sergey Aksyonov, the puppet head of Russian-occupied Crimea, has said that the number of tourists who visited Crimea in June was 40% less than the same figure in 2021.
Source: Russian "Interfax"
Quote: "In June, we noted the dynamics, analysing only collective forms of accommodation excluding the private sector, which was 815 thousand vacationers. This is 40% less than last year and down 12% on 2019 levels. We understand that the season has not taken place in full."
Details: The Kremlin's puppet protégé hopes that tourism logistics in occupied Crimea will change next year "due to the opening of resorts in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts".
Quote: "Next year will be different. I am sure that resorts will be opened in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and other oblasts of Ukraine. Crimea will be a transit region, other regions will be included in the process.
The very logistics of tourist flows will change next year. It will be a different reality, different challenges, but I am sure that we will cope with them."
Details: Zarina Doguzova, Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism (Rostourism), said that the occupiers expect that the drop in tourist flow will not become critical and will not exceed 30%, but according to the forecasts of "tourists", 30-50% fewer will come to occupied Crimea than in 2021.
Doguzova also said that the Crimean Peninsula should "become a benchmark, high-quality, modern, year-round resort, which is in no way inferior to some of the world’s best" over a 5-10 year period.
