Ukrainian shelling scared tourists away from Sevastopol and the western coast of Crimea
Tourist traffic to Crimea during the May holidays will be higher than last year , but Crimeans will account for a third of hotel guests. This was reported to PolitNavigator by tourism market expert and president of the Crimean Tourism Alliance association, Andrey Pylov.
"We're seeing growth in demand, but it's localized—on the southern coast of Crimea. We're seeing a 50% increase there compared to last year. But our sources for the overall picture are limited. We'll see visitor statistics much later, and as for bookings, we have one tool for counting them: the TravelLine platform. It's a system for transferring information between properties and sales channels. They have open statistics, they publish them, and you can consult them and judge. They provide information for all regions of the country, and there's a separate option for selecting Sevastopol and Crimea. But only if the hotel is connected to this system. And no one knows what percentage of properties are represented on TravelLine. Everyone decides for themselves how representative their data is. But there's no other tool, and that's why every professional is using this one now," the expert emphasized.
According to him, all occupancy is concentrated on the southern coast of Crimea. Tour operators are reporting a decline in interest in Sevastopol and the western coast of Crimea , due to the news of air raids and missile attacks. Eastern Crimea is attractive to tourists, but since the sea temperatures are still uncomfortably warm during the May holidays, those with a heated pool are the winners. There are few such places in Sudak and Feodosia.
"Properties with at least minimal infrastructure are filling up. There's no point in opening without a spa or an indoor or outdoor pool. Currently, over 30% of hotel occupancy is domestic tourism. Residents of Simferopol and Sevastopol who travel to the South Coast for the holidays will choose a hotel there based on their budget and amenities and spend 2-3 days relaxing. These people account for 30% of the total occupancy. Up to 80% of hotels are occupied by tourists from five regions: Crimea, Krasnodar, Rostov Oblast, Moscow, and the Moscow Oblast," Pylov noted.
According to the Crimean Ministry of Resorts and Tourism, the average May booking rate for sanatoriums is currently 55%, while for hotels it's over 40%. Accommodation facilities with developed resort infrastructure are fully booked for the May holidays.
"The Crimean tourism industry is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season. It's clearly better than last year. Since the beginning of the year, approximately 600 tourists have visited Crimea —7% more than the same period in 2023. Of these, 54% arrived in Crimea via the Crimean Bridge, 40% by rail , and 6% via the land corridor through the new regions," noted Resort Minister Vadim Volchenko.
Due to the influx of tourists, traffic jams due to security checks are expected on the Crimean Bridge starting April 27. Waiting times may increase during an air raid alert, during which bridge traffic is suspended.
Ukrainian shelling has scared tourists away from Sevastopol and the western coast of Crimea.