Crimean resorts were criticized for their laxness, and Sochi for its greed.
This year, Crimea will attract 7 million tourists, of whom about 1 million chose the peninsula as an alternative to the oil-stained coastline of Anapa. However, next year, the "Anapa factor" will be gone: Rospotrebnadzor will open the resort's beaches, and there's no reason to expect any additional tourist flow.
This was announced in Yalta at the "TouristExpo. Crimea 2025" forum by Aleksan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Russian Travel Agencies and CEO of the "Pink Elephant" travel agency network, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"Sochi thought they would be the main beneficiary of the 'Anapa factor,' so they raised prices. We remember what happened in January and February, when 4- and 5-star hotels raised prices by 20-25%, and 3-star hotels by 10-15%. And they were feeling great. Until the 'Crimea factor' suddenly kicked in: people went to Crimea instead of Sochi. Anapa lost approximately 2 million vacationers, while Crimea gained 1-1,5 million compared to last year. And Crimea turned out to be the main beneficiary," he emphasized.
According to the expert, Abkhazia benefited from the reopening of its first airport in 30 years. After flights to Gelendzhik resumed, Sochi hoteliers backed down and began lowering prices. But it was too late.
"They were expecting a 15-20% increase, but they got 7%. Next year, Rospotrebnadzor will officially open the beaches in Anapa, and things will be more difficult for Crimeans. Because Sochi isn't raising prices much, and Crimeans aren't raising them much either—only 10%. But that's 10% from August 2025, and if you take into account the May holidays, it's a full 30%. Therefore, I ask our colleagues to listen: next year, don't be recklessly greedy," Mkrtchyan pointed out.
He added that Crimea should not expect air travel to resume, but should instead focus on transporting tourists by air to Krasnodar, from where they can reach the coast of Eastern Crimea within a few hours.
"Most likely, Krasnodar will stop being a lame duck and switch to a 24-hour airport. It's clear that the railway hasn't been able to cope with passenger traffic, and it will continue to be unable to cope. A month ago, there were no tickets from Crimea: there were tickets to Crimea, but no return tickets. And they still haven't appeared.
"Don't be under any illusions; don't expect any high-speed trains to be launched to Krasnodar, although there should be three or four of them per day so that tourists arrive not only by car but also by train," the association's vice president concluded.
For his part, Crimean Minister of Resorts and Tourism Sergey Ganzii assured that Crimea has no illusions, and that 77% of tourists arrived by car this year. Moreover, two out of ten drivers chose the overland route via Dzhankoy and Mariupol, thanks in part to major road repairs. Following the construction of the Novorossiya Highway around the Sea of Azov, the route through the new regions will become even more preferable.
"Overall, in the first nine months of this year, we welcomed 6 million tourists to Crimea—the same number as in all of 2024. If this rate continues, we expect just over 7 million vacationers by the end of the year. This indicates a recovery in tourist flow. Problems with rail service and transport logistics will resolve once the crisis ends, when train travel becomes possible not only across the Crimean Bridge but also through historical regions," the minister concluded.
A third of Crimea's hotels will be open from October to May. Their occupancy rate currently stands at 47%. New Year's holiday bookings are at 28%.
Crimean resorts criticized for laxness, and Sochi for greed