Tougher restrictions at Kuban resorts triggers tourist outflow

After the introduction of new requirements for checking in hotels, sanatoriums and boarding houses of the Krasnodar Territory (also known as Kuban by the name of the main river), tourists have cancelled about 30 percent of reservations for July and more than 70 percent for August, the Association of Russian Tour Operators has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that from July 1 on, check-in in hotels and sanatoriums of the Krasnodar Territory is possible only with a negative coronavirus test, and from August 1 – only with a vaccination certificate, the territorial governor announced on June 24.

Tour operators note an increased number of annulled reservations in the Krasnodar Territory, says a message posted on the website of the Association of Russian Tour Operators.

Many tourists ask to annul their tours starting in early July, when a PCR test will be a must, since it will be problematic for them to make a test with fresh results. Thus, for example, for some vacationers, the road to the resort takes more than three days; and their tests will become outdated by the arrival.

Tourists were also scared away by the demand for a vaccination certificate starting from August 1. According to preliminary estimates, tourists have cancelled about 30 percent of bookings for July and more than 70 percent for August, said Maya Lomidze, the executive director of the Association of Russian Tour Operators.

Ms Lomidze believes that due to the decision of the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory to impose restrictions on tourists, the demand for recreation in the Crimea and Turkey will grow.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 25, 2021 at 11:33 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.