/ world today news/ Vacations in our country have become more expensive by 20% due to the devalued ruble and hryvnia. We are becoming Crimea for Ukrainians. In Kyiv, they advertise our seaside resorts as cheap and classy at their own expense.
The Bulgarian Black Sea coast will replace the resorts lost to the Ukrainians in Crimea. Nearly 2 million Ukrainians spent their summer vacations on the peninsula, which became part of Russia after a referendum. They will now be diverted to cheap and nearby destinations that they can travel to by bus, tour operators say. Such conditions are offered by Bulgaria, Greece, Croatia and Montenegro. We expect the number of Ukrainian tourists to remain the same this summer, predicts Gesho Lubenov, head of one of the largest agencies that bring Russian and Ukrainian tourists to our country – Tural, and vice-president of the Bulgarian Association of Travel Agencies (BATA). At the moment, the enrollment of Russians is at the same levels as last year, he explained. Ukrainians are cautious with enrollments. However, tour operators in the country advertise Bulgaria in the Kyiv media at their own expense. There are commercials on the televisions explaining how our country is the new Crimea, and the native resorts offer cheap vacations and quality services, Lyubenov explained. That is why the industry is optimistic that there will be no outflow of Ukrainian guests this summer, as they are traditionally booked at the last minute. And the lack of a vacation opportunity in Crimea will redirect some to the sea in Bulgaria. So far, only the scheme of the registrations itself has been changed, Lyubenov explained. Some of the Ukrainian agencies have refused to prepay a certain number of rooms in the selected hotels, instead sending inquiries about the specific tourists.
So far, not a single holiday has been cancelled, the Owners’ Union in Sunny Beach reported. The problems are only related to the limited foreign payments that were introduced in Ukraine. “Whether there will be a decline will become clear in a month at the earliest. Because Ukrainians and Russians like to book vacation spots at the last minute,” said the head of the Owners’ Union in Sunny Beach, Elena Ivanova.
The ongoing drama in Ukraine, which led to the devaluation of the ruble and the hryvnia, made vacations more expensive by nearly 20%, which will also be a factor in the refusal of some customers. Therefore, the early registrations of cousins stopped almost completely in March. Maybe they are waiting for a better rate, according to the tourist industry in Varna.
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