7.09.2026
In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, on the coast of the Black and Azov Seas, the summer resort season is being summed up. Local hoteliers have already called it the worst since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Russians who bought up real estate in Crimea are especially complaining – their business “for some reason” did not take off.
More details about this can be found in the material on OBOZ.UA.
Expectation VS reality
The peninsula, which the Russian invaders actually turned into a huge military base, has ceased to be attractive to tourists today. Of course, from Russia – because there are basically no others there during the years of occupation.
Amid security risks, logistical difficulties, a fuel crisis, as well as environmental problems and closed airports, tourist flows have been significantly redistributed. According to official data alone, Crimea has lost more than two-thirds of its tourists, who mostly went on vacation to the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation and Abkhazia.
According to information released by the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry (RUTI), Crimea’s share of all confirmed bookings in the Russian Federation has decreased to a meager 1%.
The utility collapse also had its effect – there was a prolonged lack of electricity and water. Cooking food over an open fire in the heat, and even with completely purchased water, is another pleasure. And this happened quite often in Crimea this summer.
The situation was not saved at all by the reduction in vacation prices, although it cannot be said that the discounts were large: the average cost of an overnight stay decreased by only 14%.
The decrease in tourist flow was also affected by the fact that from the end of June, reservations and accommodation of children and organized children’s groups in recreation and health facilities, as well as for participation in tourist and other events, were suspended. The deadline was set – until September 1, but just a few days ago it became known that the ban would be extended until the New Year.
“Previously, it was common practice for children to be sent to sanatoriums and camps, while parents rested separately, but mostly also on the peninsula. That is, nearby. However, this summer, they practically stopped bringing children. And this is understandable: explosions are thundering overhead, who needs it?! Crimea is by no means a paradise anymore,” shared an interlocutor of OBOZ.UA from the occupied peninsula.
According to her, the most affected were small hoteliers – mainly owners of private guest houses, as well as those who simply rent out a house or apartment. “Russian state employees were brought to large boarding houses and sanatoriums, who were given preferential travel vouchers, and those same small holiday homes were left with nothing,” the Yalta resident added.
Despite the promises of the Russian authorities that “everything will get better,” this, of course, never happened. And to call the “measures to support organizations and entrepreneurs of Crimea and Sevastopol” taken effective assistance is a stretch. Among them are the postponement of insurance premium payments, the suspension of decisions made on conducting on-site tax audits, as well as the extension of the deadlines for sending demands for payment of debts and their collection. “That is, they gave a short delay, but in the end everyone will pay,” says the Crimean woman.
The Russian propaganda machine blames Ukraine for what is happening every day. Of course, without mentioning that the occupied peninsula is literally crammed with military facilities that are a legitimate target for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Today, Crimea is fully feeling the consequences of the Russian occupation and the fact that the Kremlin’s promises to transform the peninsula into a paradise have remained just words.
Strict regime rest
The situation on the coast of the Sea of Azov is no better. Despite the fighting, the Russian occupation authorities tried to promote the captured parts of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions as… tourist regions in the spring. For example, they sent a delegation to a tourist forum in Moscow and tried to raise funds through the resort business.
There was an obvious attempt by the occupation administrations to find additional sources of funding, but it failed miserably.
In Primorsk, Berdyansk, Kyrylivka, Sedovo, Urzuf, and other settlements in the Azov region under Russian control, there are serious problems with municipal infrastructure, in particular, interruptions in electricity and water supply.
The fuel crisis had an even greater impact on the tourist flow. Some bases even offered their “know-how” – to “please” customers with a few liters of gasoline.
But “tourist flow” is too loud a word. The fact is that the main visitors to the Azov beaches are residents of the occupied part of the Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, who mostly come to relax on weekends. In addition, Russians are also regular customers – in particular, families of the occupiers.
In addition, a pass regime is in force in a number of settlements in the Azov region. Travel there is possible only through checkpoints, and document checks and interrogations are practically the same as when crossing the border.
That is, in order to relax in the occupied village of Sedovo (it is located in the immediate vicinity of the border with the Russian Federation – and it is further to go there from Donetsk than from the Russian Taganrog), the owners of bases and boarding houses must issue a pass to vacationers and enter all their data. Without this, they simply will not be allowed to go. It is a kind of strict regime vacation, but for some collaborators it is quite acceptable.
Russian propaganda stubbornly uses the topic of tourism to create the illusion of peaceful life in the occupied territories. However, the result is obvious: today the owners of bases and boarding houses in the occupied settlements are counting the losses. By the way, among them are many Russians who decided to profit from the occupation. But there are no prospects, as well as no special hope for a velvet season – Russia continues its criminal war.
Tourism was Crimea’s economic backbone. With this season over and having nothing to show for it, the mafia state has yet another millstone around its skinny neck.
So much for the unsinkable aircraft carrier title given to Crimea. It now looks like a rustbucket on its last legs.
It certainly is an economic burden. A big one. At a time when the mafia state can least afford it.