Behind the scenes: War tourism in Crimea

Before the annexation in 2014, tourism was a leading industry, generating at least 25 percent of the peninsula’s budget revenue, according to BlackSeaNews. Most visitors were middle- and high-income individuals who stayed in expensive hotels and resorts. Today, visitors tend to come from poorer sections of Russian society and bring less money to spend.

In addition, members of the Russian military and security services are being sent to Crimean resorts to rest in hotels confiscated by the occupying authorities as war trophies.

It is difficult to verify the number of visitors, but since Ukraine has managed to disable a third of the Russian fleet on the peninsula and is planning to free the peninsula from occupation, there is little optimism for the coming season.

“On TV, they keep saying that Ukraine is preparing another counter-offensive to liberate Crimea. They are also planning attacks on the Crimean Bridge, the main transport artery connecting Crimea with Russia,” Yevgeny, a video blogger, said in a post from the peninsula. “Of course, this scares people.”

Videos with tips on holiday destinations in Crimea are particularly popular on YouTube. For example, a Crimean resident named Nikolai advises potential visitors to be careful about the neighborhoods of their potential holiday destinations.

“The most important thing when choosing a vacation spot in Crimea is that everything is quiet and peaceful – there should be no ports, oil depots, airfields or military facilities nearby,” he said in a post that has been viewed 73,000 times. “All such objects should be avoided.”

At the same time, Crimea’s Russian-appointed governors are using the media to claim that the peninsula is safe for visitors.

“All necessary measures are being taken to ensure the safe conduct of the holidays,” said Sergei Aksyonov, head of the occupation government, in a television interview. “The peninsula’s defense systems are constantly being improved.”

According to tourism agencies, Russians who do travel to Crimea choose their destinations depending on the course of the war and the distance from possible missile attacks.

“Many Russians have not given up on this region despite the situation,” Natalia Anstal, head of the travel agency Go Travel, told 360.ru. “Now they are choosing areas far from the contact line, such as Yalta and Alushta.”

But such holidays can hardly be described as calm and carefree. A video posted by Crimea Wind shows a Ka-29 attack helicopter flying low over the heads of people on a beach in western Crimea, while a post on Telegram shows sandbags and gun emplacements behind the beach near Yevpatoria.

“Locals say Russian soldiers are constantly walking along the road and that there are scarecrows in military uniforms,” ​​said the post, which showed makeshift fortifications on the waterfront of the western Crimean city.

Russian bloggers also confirm that while villages on the west coast such as Shtormove, Popovka and Molochne are open, their beaches are closed as they are used by the military. Visitors can stroll through the villages but cannot go to the beaches or into the sea.

Another factor that dampens optimism for the tourist season is the high prices in Crimea.

“This year, holiday prices have increased by 20 percent compared to last year,” said video blogger Evgeny. “Rising prices are a clear thing; many already believe that Crimea is very expensive and not everyone can afford it.”

The Russian occupiers are looking for alternatives and have announced plans to build 20 resorts in the Sea of ​​Azov – in occupied Ukrainian cities in Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts, including Melitopol, Berdyansk, Prymorsk and Mariupol. They are also offering subsidies to the tourism sector in the Kherson region for the development of infrastructure such as beach resorts and campsites.

This does not necessarily mean that Russian authorities are abandoning Crimea, but they are looking for a safer option as security on the peninsula becomes increasingly precarious.

As tourism in Crimea becomes a costly burden and requires government subsidies, the future of the peninsula appears increasingly uncertain. A palpable sense of unease and growing fear is in the air as one of Crimea’s most important industries goes up in smoke.

Elina Beketova is a Democracy Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, focusing on the occupied territories of Ukraine. She worked as a journalist, editor and TV presenter for various news channels in Kharkiv and Kyiv.

Europe’s edge is CEPA’s online journal covering major foreign policy issues in Europe and North America. All opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of the institutions he represents or of the Center for European Policy Analysis.