Hotels in occupied Crimea owe tourists billions of rubles

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The tourism industry in occupied Crimea is suffering due to a decline in bookings and canceled trips. As a result, the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry (RST) has proposed introducing additional support measures for industry participants.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>This was reported by Krym.Realii. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to the Russian Ministry of Tourism of Crimea, the number of bookings for July fell by 72% compared to last year, and for August—by 68%. The amount that must be refunded to tourists for canceled trips is estimated at 6.1billion rubles. If this trend continues, it could rise to 9.3 billion rubles. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Some hotels are not refunding money for canceled reservations or are delaying refunds.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Tourists complain of form letters and having their requests ignored.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The RST proposes launching a federal program to provide preferential loans to tourism businesses in Crimea and Sevastopol at an annual interest rate of 1–2%. The union also advocates for deferrals of tax payments, payment holidays, and leniency regarding enforcement actions and bankruptcy proceedings. The initiative was sent to Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span> Boris Zelinsky, co-founder of the Russian tour operator “Kandagar,” noted that the situation in Crimea is deteriorating by the day. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>“If earlier some people were still waiting for something, now no one is waiting for anything. There is no demand, and there won’t be any until the end of hostilities,” he said.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Zelinsky believes that preferential lending will only partially solve the problem. The question of when businesses will be able to generate enough revenue to repay their loans remains open.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Earlier, it was reported that in annexed Crimea, authorities plan to further reduce the amount of fuel available for sale at gas stations operated by the companies “TES” and “Atan.” An increase in supply may be possible after the next shipment arrives. 

Meanwhile, in Sevastopol, a decision was made to reinstate QR codes for gasoline. The system will resume operation next week. It is most likely that the previous limit of 20 liters per vehicle will remain in place.

Юлія Калабайда