The railway does not save the Crimean holiday season
The railway to Crimea will carry 2,3 million passengers during the entire holiday season. This is three times less than air travel, making tourist transportation a key focus for the 2022 summer campaign, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The carrier by rail to Crimea is the Grand Service company. Express will launch 5 trains from Moscow, 3 trains from St. Petersburg and 10 from other cities during the season, including Adler, as the closest operating airport to Crimea. This is the maximum opportunity for the carrier, which has increased the number of carriages by 1,5 times compared to last year.
Nevertheless, the authorities do not lose hope of increasing passenger traffic by rail.
As Vadim Volchenko, Minister of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea, noted, the issue of additional trains “Simferopol-Moscow” and the extension of the high-speed train “Lastochka” along the route “Adler – Anapa – Kerch” are being resolved.
Due to unresolved issues with transport logistics, a third of seasonal facilities will not open for work in the summer. Occupancy at the level of 40-50% will not cover the costs of maintaining the hotel and salaries of staff.
The Crimean authorities will have to abandon previous plans to reach 10 million tourists per year. And, at the same time, look for additional sources of income for the budget, since the holiday season is not only a flow of tourists, but also deductions from transport, catering, hotel management, the service sector and leisure.
The railway isn't saving the Crimean resort season.