Sevastopol missile strike causes significant drop in Crimea tourism bookings
Tour bookings to the annexed Crimea have fallen by 25-30 percent in the week following a missile strike by Ukrainian forces on Sevastopol, as reported by the Russian Union of Travel Industry. The organization stated on Monday, 1 July, that overall sales trends remain positive and significantly ahead of last year's data.
Sales of travel packages to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula have seen a week-on-week increase of 24 percent compared to 2023 figures. Before the missile strike by Ukrainian forces, the rise in sales was at 53 percent, reported the Russian Union of Travel Industry citing data from the Travelline platform. Moreover, bookings in Crimean hotels for August, September, and October are 2-3 times higher than last year's numbers.
Travel agency Alean reported a minor increase in cancellations following the Sevastopol strike, stating that "the situation returned to normal mid-week." Intourist predicts a shift of tourists from Sevastopol and the western coast of Crimea to the southern and eastern parts. A new large art center, Tavrida, has opened in these safer regions, attracting tourists with festivals and events, explained Intourist's representative Daria Domostroeva.
Russia installed Crimean authorities have affirmed that they do not plan to close Sevastopol's beaches despite their proximity to military sites. The Russia-appointed "governor" of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, labelled the closure of beaches as "impracticable" during a special meeting on June 27. However, he did advise minimizing time spent at northern Sevastopol beaches without shelters or infrastructure, highlighting potential dangers until protective measures are in place.
Razvozhayev also promised improvements to the population's alert system to account for ballistic missile threats. Unlike earlier missiles that provided about 20 minutes of warning time, ballistic missiles give "approximately two minutes" for individuals to reach a safe location.
Sevastopol was struck by Ukrainian forces at noon on June 23. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that the attack employed five US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles with cluster munitions, four of which were allegedly intercepted by Russian air defenses. Missile debris fell on city beaches, leading to the deaths of four people, including two children, and injuring over 150 others, according to Russian authorities.
Commenting on the strike, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the Ukrainian President's office, asserted that Crimea should not have "any beaches, tourist zones, or other fake signs of normal life" due to the presence of "hundreds of military targets" in its territory. He accused Russian authorities of "cynically disguising" these targets with "civilian occupiers."