«Welcome»?
Many Crimeans, especially those who exist solely on income from tourists during the 2-3 month summer season, still hope that this summer they will have guests. Vladimir Zhirinovsky even recently promised them "millions of tourists." But in Kyiv and other major cities of Ukraine, people are not particularly thinking about vacationing in Crimea this year.
"I used to go to Crimea every year – in May and in September-October, for the Indian summer. I liked it. But this year I already called the landlady and canceled my reservation for May. I’m sure that by the start of the season, Russian troops won’t have left Crimea, and I have no idea how to relax with a child when the situation around is so extremely tense. I decided to go to Turkey. It’s definitely safe there," says 30-year-old Kyiv resident Anna Rogozina.
A correspondent for Rosbalt checked with 15 Ukrainian acquaintances who regularly vacation in Crimea about their holiday plans for this summer. Three of them even own apartments – in Yalta, Alushta, and Sudak. Among those surveyed: nine Kyiv residents, three residents of Donetsk, two Odessa residents, and one man from Chernihiv. All as one say that this year they will refrain from traveling to Crimea. The main motive is safety concerns. "We regularly receive reports that people are already being abducted in Crimea. Which is, in general, not surprising in a region dominated by a foreign army and where martial law has actually been established," says 34-year-old furniture designer Alexander from Donetsk. He thinks that Crimeans this season will not be glad to see guests from Ukraine.
28-year-old programmer from Odessa, Alexey Maidan, did not support the Euromaidan until shooting started there. "I always thought it was some kind of stupid and hopeless protest. But when snipers appeared there, it became clear that there was no choice: either victory of the revolution, or terror across the entire country for several years to come. So I actively helped: with tires, medicines, I went to the store to bring sausages and carried them to Maidan. I didn’t have the courage to run under bullets," he says. And adds: "And now the Crimeans, whom I visited to vacation at least once a year, declare me, an Odessa resident, a Banderite. I call my landlady to tell her what is really happening, and she tells me I’m lying and that I sold out to the West. It’s terrible."
"Right after the revolution, everyone was just starting to calm down, and then Crimea rebelled and called on Russia for help. Because of the Crimeans, I haven’t been able to work properly for two weeks; I have no confidence that I won’t be drafted into the war. So I consider the Crimeans traitors in this situation. After all, they could have, like in Kyiv, simply come out in multi-thousand protest actions and demanded expansion of their rights as an autonomy. The new authorities were weak; they would have agreed to that," sums up the programmer.
Dmitry Alin, a 33-year-old entrepreneur from Kyiv, bought an apartment in Alushta three years ago. "Now I’ll sell it. I don’t even care that it will become much more expensive due to Crimea joining Russia. I want to get rid of it quickly. I won’t go to Crimea anymore. I don’t want to pay a single hryvnia to people who brought our country to the brink of war. Or, more relevant now, probably say ‘a single ruble,’" he explains.
"Earlier, many went to Crimea for vacation for mundane reasons. Some don’t have a foreign passport; my girlfriend’s father wouldn’t allow the child to travel abroad. Some are afraid of flying, after all. So Ukrainians went to Crimea," says 36-year-old Kyiv accountant Anastasia Polezhko. "But why go there now? On social networks, they write that very soon soldiers will start raping women. I don’t know who to believe, but I won’t go there. Especially since Europe seems to soon cancel visas for us."
On social networks, demotivators with the text have indeed already started spreading: "Europe will introduce visa-free regime for Ukrainians. Is anyone still planning to go to Crimea this summer?"
The "visa" issue is certainly relevant for many, but thousands of Kyiv residents have already felt that without any problems with permits, one can also vacation in Turkey. "I have been vacationing twice a year for many years. Once, at the beginning of summer – in Turkey, and during the Indian summer – in Crimea," says 32-year-old Kyiv resident Elena. "In Turkey – all-inclusive, cheap excursions, quality service. Everything is done so that you can relax and not think about anything. I went to Crimea to support ‘my own’: it’s a pity that such rich nature and such an amazing peninsula develop slowly. But I still loved going there. Now, obviously, I’ll swap ‘Crimea’ for ‘Egypt.’ And I don’t care if Crimea secedes or not. I just won’t pay people because of whom we might start a war with Russia," she indignantly says.
It is believed that about 55% of summer vacationers in Crimea are Ukrainians. Mostly, these are residents of central and southeastern regions of mainland Ukraine. They are certainly, on average, poorer than arriving Russians, but there are slightly more of them. So without Ukrainians, if the opinion about the inadmissibility of vacationing in Crimea becomes decisive, the 'season' will not fully take place.
"After Russian tanks (there have been no reports of tanks yet – ed. note) and military personnel appeared in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, I think that in fact there will be no tourist season. And if there is no tourist season, there will be no additional budget revenues. Therefore, we now need to think about how to adjust the revenues of the ARC. Since they will have to be helped and the volume of subsidies increased in order to maintain the social situation in Crimea," said Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
In general, if you follow the situation from Kyiv, it seems that there will be no "season" in Crimea this year. This also worries the new authorities of the peninsula: Simferopol and Moscow have launched a large-scale campaign to attract Russian tourists to Crimea. But so far, according to a survey of Moscow travel agents conducted by the newspaper RBK Daily, Russians also prefer to refrain from traveling to the peninsula. Everyone is waiting for the results of the referendum on Crimea's self-determination, scheduled for March 16.
Maxim Shvets.
Rosbalt.RU