Tourist business in Crimea on the verge of collapse!

The Azerbaijani authorities do not consider decrease of tourist flow problem, but experts advise to change something

Crimea is losing popularity among tourists. For 11 months of 2013 Peninsula attended by 210 thousand people less than in the same period last year. The Azerbaijani authorities do not see this as a problem, as the revenues of the state budget autonomy has not decreased, writes "Kommersant-Ukraine".

For 11 months of current year Peninsula were visited by 5 million 830 thousand tourists, that is 210 thousand less than in the same period last year, the Minister of resorts and tourism of the AAR Crimea Alexander Lie. The decrease in the stream did not affect the tax level in 11 months, the budget received 541,9 million UAH, from January to December 2012 - 436 million UAH.

"Increase in the amount of tax revenue in a period of slowdown in tourist arrivals suggests that most of the tourists stopped exactly in налогооблагаемом sector - in sanatoria and boarding houses," explained Lie.

According to the Deputy Director of internal tourism company "pan Ukraine" Lyudmila locust, the number of tourists decreased due to unfavorable weather conditions.

"If last year the tourists bathed until November, this year the weather has worsened in September",- the Expert has noted. President of group of companies Kandagar Boris Zelinsky allocated deeper problems - reduction of the purchasing power of the citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, as well as competition from the resorts on the Mediterranean.

"This year, not all could afford such a vacation, and those who could have left for vacation abroad," explains Zelinsky. Director of travel Agency "Liner" Eskender Ganiev also noted that the prices on vacation in Crimea are not competitive.

"For $100 a day, you can stay in four-and five-star hotel in Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece with power on the system "all inclusive", in the Crimea is for this amount in four-and five-star hotel in the best case with Breakfast, but the hotel's own beach," adds Ganiev. The negative factor is the low level of service in the hotel industry of the Crimea.

"Our hotel facilities does not meet the modern requirements," said Zelinsky.

The opinions of experts regarding the future prospects of tourism in the Crimea parted. Boris Zelinsky predicts a further reduction in the tourist flow. "Many Russians will choose the resorts of Krasnodar region and Abkhazia, because the government is spending large sums on the development of infrastructure," he adds. But, according to Ganieva, the increase in the number of tourists is possible only in the case of joint actions of the authorities - adoption of the state program targeted financing and the representatives of business - improvement of the infrastructure of the host country.

Lyudmila Prus notes that this year the tourist infrastructure of the Crimea better - a lot of hotels began to operate year-round, introduced new service for tourists and improved service.

"Were conducted active promotional campaign resorts of the Crimea, which gave its results,- this year more tourists, coming to rest in the spring and autumn months. This gives grounds  expect the increase in tourist arrivals next year if the weather is favourable," the Specialist said.