Simferopol, August 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) – As of August 13, 4 million tourists had holidayed in Crimea this year, which is equal to the indicators of 2012, Minister of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea Oleksandr Liyev has reported.
However, he said that the ministry had not set the goal of increasing the number of tourists visiting in the peak season.
“Almost all Crimean beaches are artificial. Since the times of the Soviet Union about 550 beaches have been created on the peninsula. Now there are 573 of them. However, the area of the beaches has decreased slightly, as the leaseholders aren’t adding sand to the beaches, although they are obliged to do so,” the ministry’s press service quotes Liyev as saying.
“In Soviet times Crimea had 35,000 beds in hotels, health centers, holiday hotels, and private houses. In those times 1.8-2 million tourists spent holidays there in July and August. Now, over a similar period, we accommodate 3.2 million tourists. The number of beds has grown by about 700,000. In general, the growth happened due to so-called mini-hotels (private houses). The beach territory of Crimea isn’t capable of taking more holidaymakers then it does now. However, the number of hotel rooms is growing, which reflects on occupancy. We can predict that it will also reflect on price,” the minister said.
Liyev recommended that tourists choose Crimea primarily as a health resort.
“The best time for health improvement on the peninsula is April, May, June, September, October and November. Besides, in spring and autumn the climate on the peninsula is milder, and the prices for accommodation and food are markedly cheaper than during the peak season,” he added.
The press service of the Resorts and Tourism Ministry noted that this year increases in tourist flows were seen in winter and spring.
