Crimea is losing popularity with Russian tourists
Tour agents recorded a significant drop in demand for flights by Russian tourists to annexed Crimea. Demand for flights to Simferopol via the Svyaznoy Travel Company declined by more than 25 percent, reported the newspaper Kommersant on Monday, May 16th. In 2015, half of Svyaznoy’s flight destinations went to Crimea. Today, the figure is not more than 35% of their bookings.
Commercial director Andriy Osyntsev called it a predictable decline. "Infrastructure of the peninsula currently cannot provide the same quality of service as Turkey and Egypt, which are also regular Russian travel spots. That is why many travelers who had visited Crimea decided that they are not ready to pick it for their regular rest,” he explained.
The falling popularity of Simferopol is noticed in other agencies, too. According to Turkish ticket seller Biletix, sales of tickets to Simferopol for the summer fell by 7.5%. However, the company believes that the situation may change, taking into account that the market is characterized by shallow depth of booking. In DaTravel.com the declining popularity of Simferopol is explained by the growing demand for the near resorts abroad.
Demand for recreation in Crimea and accordingly for flights to Simferopol began to rise sharply in the spring of 2014 after the Russian annexation of the peninsula. In summer 2015, travel to Crimea peaked, with Simferopol being the most popular destination on the peninsula.
The gradual decline in Crimea’s popularity as a travel destination was first mentioned by tour operators last winter, when it was believed that the demand for Crimea would fall only after the cost of recreation on the peninsula levelled with the prices in neighboring Krasnodar region of Russia. Russian tourists also prefer the higher level of service found in Sochi.