Crimea tourism slumps as fuel crisis, blackouts hit peninsula

Demand for holidays in annexed Crimea has fallen sharply as fuel shortages and growing transportation difficulties deter travelers from visiting the peninsula, industry data confirmed.

Travel analytics company Travelline reported that tour bookings to Crimea declined by 58% year-on-year over the past two weeks. Tour operator Alean also confirmed a significant drop in demand, stating that bookings in June were down 50% compared with May.

According to Travelline, the summer season generates the majority of revenue for hotels, sanatoriums, guesthouses, children's camps, and numerous other tourism-related businesses across the peninsula. The company warned that losses of the current magnitude are unlikely to be recovered during the remainder of the year.

“Therefore, there are grounds to say that the 2026 tourist season in Crimea has, in essence, already been disrupted,” the organization said.

Amid the deteriorating situation, Russia-appointed Crimean leader Sergey Aksyonov announced the suspension of admissions and accommodation for children at all summer camps on the peninsula from June 22 until September 1.

“I ask for your understanding regarding the restrictions that have been introduced. Under the current circumstances, these measures are necessary to ensure public safety,” Aksyonov wrote on Telegram.

The restrictions follow reported Ukrainian drone strikes overnight on June 21 targeting an oil depot at the Kerch commercial port, a facility used for storing and transferring petroleum products across the Kerch Strait, as well as the Port Kavkaz terminal.

In the aftermath of the attacks, local authorities suspended fuel sales at gas stations across the peninsula for both private individuals and businesses, including purchases made using fuel vouchers. Gasoline and diesel supplies are now being reserved exclusively for “state services responsible for maintaining the functioning and security” of Crimea.

The same day, large areas of the peninsula experienced power outages. Electricity supplies were disrupted across the Northwestern, Central, and Southern Coastal energy districts. Rolling blackouts were introduced in Sevastopol, while residents of Alushta, Armyansk, Krasnoperekopsk, and Dzhankoy also lost power. Water supplies in Dzhankoy were additionally restricted.

Transport links were further affected as the Kerch ferry crossing was closed and heavy trucks were barred from using the Crimean Bridge. Earlier, local authorities had also prohibited nighttime train services across the peninsula and advised travelers to enter Crimea via a land corridor through Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, a route that has frequently been targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks.

By Vafa Guliyeva