Crimean officials were quick to announce a “tourist boom”: only 9% of Russians expressed a clear desire to go to Crimea, and 50% of respondents said that they would not vacation on the peninsula, VTsIOM found out. This sociological service belongs to the state, so it is difficult to suspect it of anti-Crimean sentiments. During the crisis, Crimea turned out to be a bit expensive, and the service there was weak – especially for families.
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Compared to last year, there were even more people wanting to go to Crimea. The number of Russians who say they will definitely go on vacation to Crimea this summer has increased from 3% to 9%, VTsIOM found out. 50% of respondents said that they “definitely will not go on vacation to Crimea,” a year ago 58% said so. Another 36% responded that they might visit Crimea next summer; last year, 27% of respondents spoke about the prospect of traveling to Crimea. The share of those who found it difficult to answer decreased from 12% to 5%.
Senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Leonty Byzov believes that the interest of Russians in vacationing in Crimea is low, because people have “little economic opportunities.” “The crisis is taking its toll, and Crimea is not the cheapest vacation; many people refuse to go on vacation at all,” he says.
The estimated budget for a trip to Crimea for Russians planning to visit the new Russian region this year is 30,5 thousand rubles. per person, VTsIOM found out. In 2014 it was 23,9 thousand rubles.
If in 2014 Crimea attracted citizens primarily due to the “presence of the sea, good resort areas” (31% of citizens spoke about this), now its main advantage has become “architecture, landscape and attractions” (mentioned by 25% of respondents). The sea and resort areas attract 23% of citizens, 11% love the Crimean climate, another 5% like the fact that Crimea is “now part of Russia,” other options are less common. 27% of respondents - and this is the most popular answer - said that Crimea “does not attract them in any way.” A year ago this figure was 19%. Leonty Byzov notes that citizens are not spared information “about long queues at the Kerch crossing, about everyday inconveniences.” According to his version, “singles or couples without children can go to Crimea, but families will not risk going there.”
Fears due to the fact that “Crimea is a front-line territory” are decreasing, says VTsIOM General Director Valery Fedorov. “Citizens are not disappointed with their holiday on the peninsula,” he believes. “There won’t be a tourist explosion; the infrastructure in Crimea is really still weak,”— believes Fedorov. The problem is also that 40% of the population does not go on vacation at all, and 25% go to their dachas, noted the head of VTsIOM.