Due to problems with water supply in Crimea, the holiday season is under threat
A water shortage in Crimea may affect the decision of tourists to relax on the island.
This was reported by the PolitNavigator correspondent and the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper, citing opinions expressed by representatives of the tourism industry.
Thus, according to the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, Maya Lomidze, the demand for holidays in Crimea this winter is 10–15% higher than usual. At the same time, she warns that the problems of providing Crimea with water are a significant limitation for this growth.
“I would really like the water issues to be resolved. This is a significant circumstance that can affect tourists. If they experience discomfort in this area, especially in winter, it may lead to churn in the next season. Which, of course, I wouldn’t want. There were no complaints about the results of the summer season this year, but this is a problem that needs to be solved for the winter season to take place and be successful,” says Lomidze.
However, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics professor Natalia Zaitseva doubts that the water crisis will significantly affect demand in the next tourist season.
“The past years have taught the population two lessons: firstly, if any problems happen in Crimea, then the entire country rushes to solve them. Secondly, it is better to book tours in advance and, if there are any difficulties in the region, come on vacation at a different period than not book a tour and then buy it at exorbitant prices,” says the economist.
“However, if the situation in water supply is not resolved, then it is possible that it will develop according to the 2014 scenario, when, due to problems with the sea ferry crossing across the Kerch Strait, many “savages” who come to relax in Crimea, due to huge queues at the crossing, they began to stay in resort hotels and private houses in the nearest settlements of the Krasnodar Territory (Taman, Anapa, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik and others),” warned Zaitseva.
She does not exclude the reorientation of vacationers from the Crimean direction to other regions of the Russian Federation.
As PolitNavigator reported, yesterday at a meeting on water supply issues in the Crimean Council of Ministers they warned that the situation with water supply on the peninsula continues to deteriorate.
Water supply problems in Crimea have put the holiday season at risk.