Tourism in Crimea

Tourism in Crimea is as old as tourism itself. In the 1800's Crimea was a popular tourism destination for the cream of Russian society, and also for successful artists and poets such as Pushkin. Crimea later became the number one tourism destination for inhabitants of the former Soviet Union. Millions of tourists came here each year. In fact, on any one summer day, up to 200 flights would pass though the main airport of Crimea in Simferopol.

Holidaymakers from all over the Soviet Union relaxed on its beaches, and in its sanatorium. It even became a favourite for tourists from East Germany. They came here for its pleasant climate, incredible scenery, abundance of palaces, castles and other monuments of great historical value, and for the all round fun factor of being at the sea with thousands of other like minded holidaymakers.

Then tourism in Crimea took a sudden change. In 1991, the political system turned on a head, wages suddenly became worthless, and free trips to the coast were suddenly no more. Tourism in Crimea disintegrated before the watery eyes of the countless hotel owners of the peninsula.

As the 1990's gathered pace, tourists began to flock back to Crimea. Year by year the tourism industry in Crimea recovered, and at the turn of the century Simferopol airport was modernized as a reflection of the resurgence of Crimea as a popular tourism destination.

The tourist base of Crimea consists almost exclusively of Russians, Belorussians, and Ukrainians. For this reason workers in the tourism industry of Crimea have yet to develop the sort of foreign language skills that we expect when travelling to better-known destinations. In the last few years however, Western tourists have started to trickle into the peninsula, and this trickle became a modest stream when the visa regime was cancelled at the beginning of 2005. Western tourism is finally coming to the beautiful Crimea.

In response to this, for the first time, the tourism industry in Crimea is starting to look west, and that is where AccessCrimea comes in. We are confident that responsible tourists from the West can bring good things to Crimea. Not just money, but new ideas and attitudes. To develop culturally and intellectually, any country can benefit from the positive influence of outsiders, and in return the outsider can bring back fresh perspectives to his or her own country. As long as this exchange of ideas is kept on a level playing field, this can only bring benefits to the tourism industry in Crimea, and to Crimeans themselves; and to the tourists that are lucky enough to visit this special part of the world.

Crimea is close to the borders of the European Union, but is as yet 'undiscovered' as a popular tourism destination. Few places in the world possess the combination of natural beauty and historical monuments in such a small place that Crimea does. It also offers tremendous possibilities for outdoor recreation, such as rock climbing and mountain biking. Crimea has been isolated from the tourism map for a long time now; but the future is bright, and change is coming...

If you are interested in any aspect of tourism in Crimea, then at Crimea's number one tourist agency, AccessCrimea, we'd be glad to hear from you. Please go to http://www.accesscrimea.com, and send us a message.

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