Fuel crisis in Crimea has led to hotel booking cancellations
Crimea has dropped out of Russia's top 10 most popular tourist destinations as the fuel crisis on the peninsula deepens, prompting hotel booking cancellations.
Source: Krym.Realii (Crimea.Realities), a Radio Liberty project covering life on the occupied peninsula
Details: The number of hotel bookings from 24 May to 6 June fell by 31% compared to last year, while in the city of Sevastopol, it dropped by 40%, according to data from Travelline, a hotel booking management system.
Kommersant, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlet, reported that Crimea has dropped out of Russia's 10 most popular tourist destinations, now accounting for only 1.5% of sales.
The number of cancelled holidays on the peninsula doubled, and most holidaymakers may switch to Russia's Anapa.
Data from OneTwoTrip, an online travel agency, shows that the number of hotel bookings in Russian-occupied Crimea from 1 to 7 June fell threefold compared to last year.
Sergei Romashkin, Vice-President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, said demand for Crimea has been declining since the middle of the week of 1-7 June: compared to the previous 7 days, sales have fallen by 20%.
With no regular air links, cars are the main way of getting to Crimea. The Russian-appointed ministry of resorts and tourism in the temporarily occupied peninsula estimates that in 2025, 76% of tourists used buses and private cars, while the remaining 24% travelled by train. [The Ministry of Resorts and Tourism in Crimea is the governing body established by the Russian occupation administration to manage tourism, coordinate travel institutions and promote the peninsula as a holiday destination to Russian travellers – ed.]
Quote from the ministry of resorts and tourism: "The free sale of petrol has effectively been banned in Crimea. The limit is 20 litres per vehicle. Fuel is not available everywhere."
More details: The Russian-appointed authorities of the peninsula are trying to address the fuel shortage using various measures. Sevastopol has recently introduced QR codes via the Russian messenger Max, allowing drivers to purchase up to 20 litres of fuel once a week. The codes are being snapped up extremely quickly.
Novaya Kuban, a Russian media outlet, reported that long queues of cars from Crimea have formed at petrol stations in the Temryuk district of Russia's Krasnodar Krai amid the fuel shortage.
Residents of the Temryuk district said queues at large petrol stations in the area are almost constant. Drivers are filling up full tanks, while some are also filling canisters. Measures to address potential speculative schemes are under discussion.
In addition, some grocery stores in Crimea display notices limiting the sale of certain goods "per customer".
Background:
- Fuel sales in Crimea have been completely restricted "for several days". Petrol will still be available using previously purchased ration coupons, but officials will be stationed at every filling station to ensure that no one exceeds the permitted limit.
- The Russian authorities in occupied Crimea have temporarily suspended passenger train services on the peninsula following a drone strike on a diesel locomotive.
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