What kind of tourist should we expect this summer - a wealthy or thrifty one, a "mattress person" content with the beach - or one greedy for impressions? But each of them needs to be provided with comfort and reasonable prices for their vacation.

Economical and not very

The Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Kazakhstan has developed tips for health resorts to reduce energy costs. “We need to ensure that the energy demand of the sanatorium and resort sector decreases; this affects the entire Crimea,” says Sergei Strelbitsky, Minister of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea. — If energy costs decrease, the cost of services will also decrease. Now we need to keep prices the same. According to our forecasts, eastern and western Crimea can become leaders in receiving tourists.”

His words are confirmed by Crimean tour operators. “Economy holidays are in great demand, but so is the sanatorium complex, because people go to Crimea for treatment,” Marina Danilova, head of the reservation department of one of the Crimean tour operators, told AiF-Crimea. — Sales of vouchers in February, compared to last year, increased by about a third. It is unlikely that those who chose Turkey or Egypt will go to Crimea - after all, the level of service is incomparable. Their “all inclusive” means free use of everything located on the hotel premises. And the Crimean “all inclusive” means that the price of the tour includes only breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

An average Crimean tour for ten days costs up to 30 thousand rubles. For this money you can also get basic medical procedures. There are also vouchers for 1,500 rubles per day per person - despite the fact that the price is calculated for the peak season. On average, the cost of placement increased by 15-20%. Some health resorts and boarding houses have reduced prices, but there are not many of them.

For Crimea, the May holidays have always been a kind of test for the success of the season. “Sales of tours for the May holidays have started, and they are coming to an end,” said Victoria Stupina, a marketing specialist for a travel company. “Traditionally, tour operators prepared package offers in early March, but this year they started selling on February 10.”

“May” tourists are interested in travel and sightseeing, so the demand for sightseeing tours is high.

An average Crimean tour for ten days costs up to 30 thousand rubles. Photo: AiF/Olga Korobova

Where is the service?

Last year, Crimean tourism industry experts noted that among visitors there was a very high percentage of people who had never been to Crimea before. But they managed to travel around the world. These are the demanding, critical clients. It will be incredibly difficult to keep them. From the airport they were generous with their comments, because it was impossible to find navigation information at the airport itself. The complaints were mainly about the infrastructure, accommodation facilities and the lack of information about the services in the hotels themselves. In addition, they have traditionally been dissatisfied with the fact that during the peak season some attractions cannot be visited.

The Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Kazakhstan is already working on these shortcomings. Soon, the same museums will be able to switch to extended opening hours so that tourists can visit them in the evenings, and small tour groups will be formed. In addition, passports of accommodation facilities will be prepared.

The 2016 season is expected to see a tourist flow of up to 4.9 million people. To achieve this, the ferry crossing plans to accept more motorists in the summer - at least 7 million people in both directions. And the Simferopol airport, as the main gateway to Crimea, has also prepared: now Aeroflot will operate flights from Simferopol to the main big cities Russia.

A guide for holidaymakers useful tips and current prices

The Crimean peninsula attracts tourists not only with the unique beauty of its nature, but also with its diversity. Here you can find everything your heart desires: sandy beaches, mountain ranges, forests and steppes. On the one hand, this is a lively and noisy place, full of entertainment for every taste, and on the other, a secluded corner where the “conveniences of civilization” are replaced by nature untouched by man. This quiet place is located on the western coast of the peninsula.

Tarkhankut is a real paradise for romantics and lovers of recreation with tents and scuba gear. These places are not so popular among tourists, but true connoisseurs of environmentally friendly recreation prefer them to the noisy South Coast.

The Black Sea region is famous among tourists as an inexpensive and very quiet place to relax. If you dream of spending time away from civilization, then this is what you need. The endless steppe, wide sandy beaches, crystal clear sea and unique landscapes will allow you to fully experience all the delights of a “wild” holiday and enjoy solitude with nature. And if the unique Tarkhankut landscapes retain their uniqueness and inviolability from year to year, the resort itself does not stand still: the infrastructure is actively developing, the choice of available entertainment is becoming wider, and leisure time is becoming more varied. Every year, the Black Sea region can offer more to its guests, and this does not at all destroy its features, but, on the contrary, harmoniously complements the local atmosphere. And if in the previous few years these places were visited by a very rare tourist, then this year life in Tarkhankut is in full swing and in full swing...

Climate

Thanks to a special geographical location The Black Sea region has a unique microclimate. The Tarkhankut Peninsula is washed by the sea on three sides, and sea breezes usually change direction twice a day. That is why it is much easier and more pleasant to endure the summer heat here. Due to the absence of industrial facilities, low population density and little transport, the air on the Tarkhankut Peninsula is clean and fresh. It contains a large number of ions of bromine, iodine, sodium and other substances, which has a beneficial effect on health. The weather is mostly sunny, and rain is rare and short-lived. The water in the sea quickly warms up to 23-25 ​​degrees, so the swimming season here begins in May and ends in September, or even later.

Transport

A trip from Simferopol to Chernomorskoye by bus will take three hours (30 minutes of which - parking at the bus station in Yevpatoria) - 144 km, ticket 219 rubles. The first flight from the Kurortnaya bus station (railway station) is at 05:40, the last at 20:20 with an interval of 40-60 minutes. In addition, you can first get to Evpatoria (1.5 hours, ticket - 120 rubles). The first flight from Kurortnaya to Evpatoria departs at 05:18, and the last one at 21:35. There are flights Simferopol-Mezhvodnoe at 11:25 and 15:22. From Chernomorskoye to Mezhvodnoye (17 km), Olenevka (23 km), Okunevka (25 km), Gromovo (19 km) there are also buses from the bus station, the fare is 22-50 rubles.

And on picturesque cape Tarkhankut, located far from civilization, is much more convenient to get there by your own transport, because you will have to go to literally to the ends of the earth. You can get to Olenevka, and from there it’s 5 km on foot. It is possible to order a taxi from the Black Sea, the trip will cost 900 rubles. The price of a taxi ride within the village is 100-120 rubles.

Nutrition

On the beach and in the center of Chernomorskoye there are many cafes and restaurants where you can eat delicious food for little money. The establishments offer a wide selection of fish and sea dishes prepared from pelengas, katran, mullet, mussels and rapana. Dinner in a restaurant (meat with a side dish and a glass of wine) will cost around 1000 rubles, set lunches - 500-700 rubles. A serving of borscht - 50 rubles, a chop - 70-80 rubles, pies - 30 rubles, shish kebab - 120 rubles/200 grams, salads - 160-300 rubles/portion. You can have a snack on the go (chebureks, hot dogs) for 60-80 rubles.
There are three markets in Chernomorskoe, the prices of which may change during the season depending on the influx of tourists: cucumbers - 50-80 rubles, tomatoes - 35-50 rubles, potatoes - 20-30 rubles, eggs - 45-80 rubles ., milk - 40-90 rubles, peaches - 80-130 rubles, apricots - 120-160 rubles, cherries - 200-250 rubles, grapes - 120-200 rubles.

The busiest day in the village is Wednesday, because it is on this day that the “gypsy” market operates, where a very wide and varied selection of products is presented: fresh fish, sausages and cheeses, vegetables and fruits. Here you can buy all the necessary products at very affordable prices, which is why both locals and visitors often shop here.

Leisure

The view from Cape Tarkhankut will impress any tourist, because it is impossible to take your eyes off it. Yes, along the way you may be overcome by boredom, because the endless empty steppe stretches for many kilometers around, but when you reach the shore, you will be amazed by the beauty of these places. High steep cliffs, quiet sandy bays and lagoons, romantic grottoes, emerald water, the crystal purity of which any resort would envy - this is an attraction not only of Tarkhankut, but of the whole Crimean peninsula.

The Dzhangul tract is located north of Olenevka and stretches along the coast at a distance of 5 km. Dzhangul is a landslide massif with impressive piles of rocks and bizarre limestone figures created by weathering and abrasion. This area is a protected area. The nature here is untouched, and the tract itself resembles a lost world.

The Atlesh nature reserve, located 5 km from Olenevka, extends 3 km along the sea coast and is divided into two parts - Big and Small Atlesh. Picturesque coastal cliffs, deep grottoes, caves and stone beaches, and in some places beautiful stone arches - all this was created by weathering and sea waves. This is a great place for windsurfing, kite surfing and, of course, diving, because the rich underwater flora and fauna will not leave anyone indifferent. But besides this, scuba divers are attracted by underwater caves, sunken ships and the world's only underwater museum, the Alley of Leaders. At a distance of 100 meters from the shore of Maly Atlesh at a depth of 12-14 meters, divers collected an underwater gallery of sculptures, among which you can see busts and monuments of Lenin, Dzerzhinsky, Gorky, Stalin, Beethoven, miniatures of the Eiffel Tower, Tower Bridge. Exhibits for the museum are brought by divers from the entire former Soviet Union. Neptune's Grotto, "The Bottle" and "Anchor Alley" are very popular for diving. Below it is the first underwater drag road - a kind of analogue cable car for divers.

And in the area of ​​Bolshoi Atlesh, an underwater museum is being created at a depth of 25-30 meters military equipment. Airplanes, cannons, and self-propelled guns from the Great Patriotic War era will be located there. One of the first exhibits was the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft, which was shot down by the Nazis in 1944.

Atlesh also played a significant role in Soviet cinematography, because it was here that episodes for the films “Amphibian Man”, “Pirates of the 20th Century”, “Taman”, “Men and Dolphins” were filmed. Alyosha offers exciting excursions and boat trips along the rocky coastline.

And the most romantic place on Tarkhankut can rightfully be considered the Cup of Love - an indoor natural pool with a diameter of 20 meters, built by waves in a rocky shore. The depth in the Bowl reaches 8-9 meters, and at a depth of 4 meters there is a natural underwater tunnel that connects the pool with the open sea. There is a legend: if lovers jump into the Cup of Love, holding hands, and their hands do not open in flight, then they will live in love and harmony. And if they open up, then it’s too early for the couple to walk down the aisle. The only negative is that there are quite a lot of people who want to take a dip in the pool, which violates the atmosphere of privacy. Entrance to the territory of Atlesh from the fishing camp - 20 rubles, a boat excursion along the coast to the Cup of Love - 300 rubles.

There is also a dolphinarium on Bolshoy Atlesh, where you can not only watch a spectacular show with marine life, but also go diving with dolphins. In July-August, the dolphinarium shows three performances lasting 40 minutes (Mondays are a day off): 11:00, 15:00 and 18:00. A ticket for a daytime performance costs 600 rubles, children under 5 years old are free. A photo with dolphins on a platform (up to 5 people) and in the water (1 person) costs 500 rubles. for your camera and 600 rubles. for a dolphinarium camera, dolphin therapy - 5,000 rubles, diving with dolphins - 6,000 rubles, swimming with dolphins (three laps in the water) - 3,000 rubles. per person, video filming is allowed.

You can admire the inhabitants of the Black Sea, fish from the rivers of Africa and America, turtles and crocodiles, as well as birds and rodents in the aquarium located at: Chernomorskoye, st. Pochtovaya, 1B (at the beginning of the city beach). Opening hours: from 9:00 to 22:00. Ticket price - 200 rubles/adult, 150 rubles/child.

Many tourists come to West Coast Crimean peninsula only for the purpose of visiting local lakes - Karadzhinskoye in Olenevka and the mud-salty lake Yarylgach (Sasyk, Karlavskoye) near the village of Mezhvodnoye. These places are famous for their silt sulfate mud, which is healing. They are effective in treating many diseases. The water in the lakes also has healing powers, which contributes to the healing and rejuvenation of the body.

Not far from Olenevka there is the Estate of General Popov, which was built simultaneously with Vorontsov Palace. Today the estate is located in a restored and rebuilt form on the territory of the boarding house "Sunny Valley". The beautiful park that surrounded the building has also been preserved: a relief landscape, green spaces, fruit trees and neat flower beds. The majestic building can still outshine modern buildings. The uniqueness and beauty of its architecture still attracts tourists vacationing on Tarkhankut.

There are many archaeological and natural monuments. For example, the ancient settlement of Kalos-Limen (translated from Greek as “Beautiful Harbor”) is about 3,000 years old. The remains of other ancient settlements have also been preserved here: the Greco-Scythian Belyaus and Kauchuk, on the territory of which a slab with the image of feasting Hercules was discovered several years ago.

And 4 km from the village of Olenevka, on Cape Tarkhankut, there is a powerful lighthouse 42 meters high, built of white Inkerman limestone. For 200 years now, the lighthouse has served as a reliable landmark not only for ships, but also for hikers. Thanks to good quality construction, to this day the structure required only cosmetic repairs. There are 142 steps of a cast-iron spiral staircase leading to the tower. You can climb the Tarkhankut lighthouse only with the permission of the administration, but the view from the top is worth any effort.

A place under the sun

In the Black Sea region there are a large number of hotels, boarding houses, recreation centers, and campsites, so every tourist will be able to find accommodation that they can afford. Almost all types of housing are equipped with parking lots, so you don’t have to worry about your car. Locals They are also willing to rent out housing with garages or space for a car.

City/town		Apartment/house	Mini Hotel	Pension
Black Sea
Mezhvodnoe
Olenevka
Okunevka

Prices in rubles per day (minimum – maximum):

- “bed” in the private sector (up to 1.5 from the sea, shower, washbasin);

Apartment/house (2-3 rooms, air conditioning, all amenities);

Mini-hotel (up to 1 km from the sea, double room);

Boarding house (seaside, room for 2 people, 3 meals a day)

HELP "MK"

Hotline for vacationers in Crimea

The Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of the Republic of Crimea operates a 24-hour hotline “Polite Crimea”: 8-800-100-12-20 . Calling the hotline is free within the Russian Federation!

What will it be like holiday season in Crimea

Only a few regions on the southern coast of Crimea will be able to earn money during the holiday season. At the same time, the Russian authorities are doing everything possible to ensure that Crimeans are left without the traditional summer extra work.

“On May 9, there were many guests in the city, but it cannot be said that the sanatoriums survived the rush of demand, and there are no women with signs saying “Housing by the Sea,” Natalya, a Feodosia resident who works as a tour guide in the summer, spent the May weekend at home. The townspeople explain the modest results by the fact that that most tourists visit Eastern Crimea while passing through, going on vacation to South coast. However, things are not looking great there either. “There were a lot of tourists in May, yes. But less, much less than last year,” said Yalta resident Vitaly Malyshev. “According to the forecasts of my friends who work in travel agencies, tourists should not be expected until mid-June.”

The popularity of Crimea during the May holidays is considered to be an indicator of the quality of the upcoming holiday season. Having received the first wave, the Crimean authorities burst out with cheerful statements that millions of guests were waiting, promising to set a record for attendance at resorts. Ukrainian experts believe that there is no reason for optimism: it is still difficult to get to Crimea, and Ukrainians, who have always accounted for the lion's share of the tourist flow, will not go there for reasons of safety and patriotism. The initiative of Russian legislators, who propose to significantly complicate the rental of housing, may also affect the holiday season.

A big difference

Estimates of the number of tourists visiting the peninsula during the May long weekend vary widely. The Ministry of Resorts of Crimea reported that there were 161.6 thousand of them, which is 23.3% higher than in 2015, plus 250 thousand tourists were counted by Rostourism in Sevastopol, announcing that the increase was 20%. The department reported that the most popular resorts in Crimea were Yalta and Alushta, accounting for about half of the tourist flow.

Former Minister of Resorts and Tourism of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Alexander Liev, based on data from the Hospitality Industry Association of Ukraine, gives other figures. About 35 thousand tourists visited Crimea, almost all of them were Russians; in its best years, the peninsula received about 200 thousand people in May. He explains this difference by the fact that Russian statistics are based not on economics, but on politics and propaganda. At the same time, there is no reason not to trust the information received from the Association. “It tracks data from open Russian Internet sources about transport links with Crimea, mainly air and ferry services,” explains Liev. “Using the methodology of the National Academy of Environmental and Resort Construction, it is possible to determine the share of tourists in the total passenger traffic. In addition, we we monitor the online booking system. In total, about 73 systems are analyzed. This is how we see the volume: how many rooms are rented, how many are booked, where reservations have already been stopped. We also use data from major tour operators in Crimea. The most objective source for us is direct communication with the owners of accommodation facilities on peninsula, we monitor more than a hundred objects."

Seven million tourists

The other day, Russian media disseminated information that Russians are increasingly choosing to vacation in other regions over Crimea. Sellers of air tickets say that due to the rise in prices, the demand for Simferopol flights of independent travelers has decreased by a quarter. Tour operators predict a decline in demand in organized tourism: Russians will choose Sochi.

The Crimean “authorities” immediately issued a refutation. “Deputy Prime Minister of the Crimean Government”, who oversees the tourism sector, Ruslan Balbek, said that these data are unrepresentative and indicate information dumping or incompetence. “Speaker of the Crimean Parliament” Vladimir Konstantinov said that Crimea plans to receive up to 7 million tourists this year, breaking the record of recent decades.

Such forecasts cause distrust even among many Crimeans, who recall that several years ago, when Crimea set records, receiving 6 million people, everything was packed, housing was booked several months in advance. “Now there are no signs of rush demand,” says entrepreneur Evgeniy Volchenko. “Owners of apartments and mini-hotels expect that the season will be at the level of last year. Then it was officially announced that 4.5 million people vacationed in Crimea, those who work in this sphere, they suggested boldly dividing by two. That is, Crimea received 2–2.5 million, this can be felt against the backdrop of 2013, when we felt the real 6 million. The occupancy rate of sanatoriums that fell under state programs was not bad, about 90%. But about a quarter sanatoriums are closed because someone “squeezed them out” and now doesn’t know what to do with them. In the private sector, the search for clients has reoriented to the Internet. Those who quickly oriented themselves to the Russian market and the Internet are getting some tenants ".

Crimeans hope that this year will be a little better. Russians are now cut off from Egypt and Turkey; after the devaluation, it is more profitable to spend rubles on vacation than dollars, so the demand for domestic tourism will increase. In addition, seasonal housing in Crimea is one and a half times cheaper than in the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory.

Alexander Liev notes that the tourist season in Sevastopol and Yalta suffered the least from the annexation. These two cities shared the main tourist flow during May holidays and share it throughout the year. "The city of Saki is especially worth noting, mud resorts which were filled. But the specifics of this resort and its medical profile, as well as the small number of beds, make this result not very representative, says the ex-minister. – The tourist flow in Evpatoria and Alushta is far beyond the point of unprofitability. A catastrophic situation in the resorts of Kerch, Sudak, Feodosia, Black Sea and Razdolnensky regions. It can be predicted that the 2016 season in Crimea will remain at the level of last year, that is, 1.2–1.5 million tourists. All this will be a monostream from Russia."

His words indirectly confirm the observations of the owner of a boarding house in Primorsky, Vladimir Yarmolenko, who says that there is little demand for Eastern Crimea, although his rooms cost from 300 rubles. (about 115 UAH) per person.

"Hello to the Crimeans"

The day before tourist season Problems for the Crimeans were caused by Russian legislators who decided to ban accommodation services in apartments. The bill, which the State Duma voted for in the first reading, suggests that if the owner of an apartment wants to provide hotel services, he needs to remove it from the housing stock, register as an entrepreneur and pay taxes. For Crimeans, this is unacceptable, since many residents of coastal cities rent out housing only for two or three summer months.

“It’s curious that no one speaks loudly about this bill, which is nicknamed “Greetings to the Crimeans,” and many are not aware,” says Volchenko. “When you tell your friends about it, the first reaction is: “Come on!”, and then they begin to be indignant. The ban will affect the whole of Russia, so it is being actively discussed on the Internet. They say that the law will kill an entire sector - where should shift workers, rented houses, and students go?”

According to the entrepreneur, in Crimea there have already been attempts to bring private sector income out of the shadows. In 2014, they offered to pay for beds without registering a business, but people did not agree to this, since there were no guarantees that at least someone would come on vacation, meanwhile, fees were collected monthly. The apartment owners agreed with the neighbors: if an inspection came, the vacationers had to be introduced as friends or relatives of the owners. Last year, they took on mini-hotels, the owners of which, according to officials, earned from 20 to 50 thousand rubles daily. (from 7.8 thousand UAH to 19.4 thousand UAH). “That is, even Crimean officials are far from reality; the majority of their earnings were several times less,” says Volchenko.

He believes that the appearance of the bill is “a continuation of the story of belt tightening.” Over the course of a year, at least ten new taxes were introduced in Russia, and the next initiative of legislators became a picture of the hectic activity to fill the budget.

About a trip to Crimea in June 2016, which was published in our community “Your Crimea”. At the end of the story there is a link to the source where you can ask your questions to the author. The trip took place in mid-June and lasted 10 days. I quote the original text without changes.

Because I’m not a particular fan of spending all my time on the beach with the indispensable attribute of “all inclusive”, so I decided to take a ride around Crimea, like in places where I had been before and along uncharted paths.

First I chose the beaten one popular route: Vorontsovsky (Prince Vorontsov) and palaces, Swallow's Nest (for 300 rubles you can drive directly to it through the local sanatorium) and Massandra Palace of Emperor Alexander III. If you get up early and have your own car, you can visit everything in one day.

The next day is a break: lamb shish kebab, tasting local wines, howling to the virtuoso playing of a Korean button accordion and guitar. Even a German from Potsdam came to us, we joyfully sang “Katyusha” to him. I had never been to Bakhchisarai before this trip, I thought I’d get away with just the Khan’s palace, but that wasn’t the case)). After walking around the palace, we were offered a UAZ (300 rubles per person) visit the ruins of the fortress (founded in the 5th-6th century as a Byzantine colony) Chufut-Kale and cave city.

The driver of the indestructible car climbed onto the plateau near the entrance to the fortress, and then we said goodbye to him and decided to return to our camp on foot, admiring the views of the gorge, visiting along the way, in addition to the ancient ruins, a cave city and the Orthodox Holy Dormition Cave Monastery. The panoramas are, of course, crazy; anyone who hasn’t been there must visit these epic places. In the evening we returned to Alushta.

Well, then a whole day trip (medieval Genoese fortress) with a visit to the village New World(factory of champagne wines from Galitsyn cellars, Royal Beach). On the way back along the serpentine we stopped near the village of Rybachye to swim on a wild beach. As I understand it, Crimeans take tents on weekends and go to these places to relax, i.e. away from the tourist bustle. Almost all of the parked cars had Crimean license plates, I felt like a “black sheep”)).

According to representatives of the Crimean administration, this year the tourist flow to the peninsula has increased again.

“This year’s high holiday season was generally successful. The total number of vacationers since the beginning of the year and as of mid-October exceeded five million people,” media representatives were officially informed last Friday.

Is this too much?

No, it's not too much.

On the one hand, this is more than last year and significantly more than the year before. Over the entire last year, 4.59 million tourists visited Crimea (which, in turn, is 21% more than in 2014).

There is reason to believe that the final figures for 2016 will be equal to the average “pre-Maidan” years, when 5.5 - 6.1 million tourists arrived in Crimea per year. And maybe - if the beginning of winter goes well - it will exceed them.

Which, by the way, is the most curious thing: a 2.2-fold increase in the tourist flow was recorded even from Ukraine, which is “at war” with us. In total, since the beginning of this year, a little more than 864 thousand citizens of this warlike power have actually vacationed in Crimea.

This means the following things:

1) The preserved mental health of a fairly decent part of the citizens of Ukraine, which in fact, on a purely everyday level, turns a deaf ear to the fierce media hatred pouring from every iron and “we will not forget, we will not forgive.”

2) The resource for the extensive development of the tourism industry of this Russian region is rapidly depleting. A simple replacement of the majority of tourists from Ukrainian to Russian (before reunification - two thirds from Ukraine, after reunification - four fifths from Russia) has already been exhausted.

Now the tourism infrastructure of the peninsula needs to be systematically reformed.

And this is a very difficult task: in the “flagship” Sochi in this regard, for example, it was accomplished only through the Olympic project. And this despite the fact that at that time Sochi and Black Sea coast The Caucasus was generally the only Russian “tourist region”.

But, unfortunately, we don’t have a new “Olympic project” in sight. Especially in Crimea.

No, it cannot be said that nothing is being done in this direction. The transport infrastructure is being “expanded”, and we are talking here not only about “ Kerch bridge" The airport is being expanded and internal road communications are being improved. New tourist facilities are being restored and new ones are being built, and the key issue for any “tourist region” is being resolved with excursion and entertainment facilities.

It’s just that what is being done is absolutely not enough.

Moreover, we have already spoken more than once about the need for a “national project” in the area of ​​the so-called. “domestic and inbound tourism”, of which, of course, both Sochi and Crimea should become an integral part. But to implement it, it will be necessary to change the entire structure of the tourism industry, starting with the mentality of the people who manage this industry.

Officials still, by and large, perceive “tourism” exclusively as an “exit” discipline.

Want a little example?

Now the issue of the so-called is being actively lobbied for. “resort tax for travelers”, and at the regional level. This means that this “fee” - yes, a small one - will be levied exclusively on “domestic” and “inbound” tourists. And not from those who prefer the Egyptian Sharm el-Sheikh to Crimea and Sochi. At the same time, from a purely technical point of view, this is no more difficult, just like directing the proceeds from a hypothetical “exit fee” in a targeted manner for the development of the tourism infrastructure of one’s own country.

But such an approach at the system level simply does not occur to these people. And with such a mentality of government managers, who do not even think about creating additional advantages for competitors to our own “tourist regions” and objects, tourism as a national project is definitely impossible to develop.