Tourist season in occupied Crimea gets off to poor start amid fuel shortage concerns
In occupied Crimea, every two new bookings for holiday accommodation are being offset by 10 cancellations, as tourists fear becoming stranded without fuel. Attempts by hotels to attract visitors with promises of free petrol have failed.
Source: novayagazeta.eu
Details: "Tourists are worried about fuel shortages and travel disruptions. One hotel in Saky even promised guests free fuel with their booking, although the promotion had to be withdrawn shortly afterwards," the outlet reported.
The main cause of the current situation is the fuel crisis that began in Crimea in late May 2026.
Quote: "Tourists are simply afraid of being trapped due to a lack of fuel. Because of logistical problems in the region caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on the Novorossiya road, the peninsula's authorities introduced restrictions on the sale of AI-95 and AI-92 petrol."
Details: In Krasnodar Krai, demand trends vary. Sochi has seen demand fall by around 20%, while Anapa, following last year's fuel oil pollution disaster, has recorded booking growth of up to 40%.
According to Travelline, 79% of bookings in Crimea and 71% in Sevastopol have been cancelled. Overall, there are currently 10 cancellations for every two new bookings.
In 2025, 76% of visitors to Crimea arrived by car or bus, while 24% travelled by train. The distance from the last petrol station before the Crimean Bridge to popular resorts such as Feodosiia and Yalta is 250-300 km, making travel highly risky without the possibility of refuelling on the peninsula.
Meanwhile, in Tuapse, efforts to deal with river and coastal pollution caused by drone strikes on an oil depot are ongoing, although some local residents claim the sea is already clean. Hotel and guesthouse owners report declining demand and are offering discounts and special promotions to attract visitors.
One hotel in Saky launched an unusual promotion, offering guests 10 litres of petrol for bookings of two nights and 20 litres for bookings of three nights or more. Hotel management said the fuel came from a small reserve intended for electricity generators rather than industrial supplies. However, the promotion had to be cancelled after four days because the fuel ran out.
Background:
- Earlier, Crimea imposed a temporary full restriction on petrol sales, allowing fuel purchases only through previously purchased ration coupons and limiting purchases to 20 litres per person under official supervision.
- After an incident in which 400 buses failed to operate due to fuel shortages, the occupation authorities ordered the problem to be resolved, but many services remained suspended.
- Crimea has dropped out of Russia's top 10 tourist destinations as the fuel crisis deepens, leading to a growing number of hotel booking cancellations.
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