187 billion euros – that’s what this country’s tourism sector lost in last six months
The Russian tourism industry has lost 187 billion euros over the past six months due to coronavirus, and it will take at least a year and a half to restore the industry to pre-crisis levels, president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Andrei Ignatiev said, citing data from the Federal Tourism Agency.
However, Ignatiev said that the situation has begun to change for the better. He said about 2.5 million people work in the tourism industry in Russia and 5-6 million people work in related industries. Tourism has already begun in the region, he noted, and expressed hope that this business could become one of the drivers of the Russian economy.
“According to statistics, 80% of Russian citizens go to the beach to have a summer vacation, therefore, Crimea and Sochi were opened first in Russia,” Ignatiev said.
“At the same time, prices for flights have decreased, therefore, in general, the price of tourist products have not increased compared to last year,” he said. In some cases, prices of Crimean holidays even decreased as flight costs dipped by about 25%.
Crimea is a peninsula located on the northern coast of the Black Sea. It is a disputed region claimed by both Ukraine and Russia as part of either southern Ukraine or southwestern Russia. Although most of the international community doesn’t recognize Crimea as part of Russia, it is administered by Russia, and most citizens identify as Russian. Russian currency is used and Russian laws apply.