Is it possible to go to Sochi in the summer of 2020 due to coronavirus

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Due to the fact that the insidious virus has attacked almost all countries, and this has led to the complete closure of borders, the Russians are thinking about domestic tourism and are considering Sochi as one of the summer vacation destinations. Is it possible to go to the resort in the summer of 2020, because there is also a difficult situation there due to the coronavirus? We will find out the opinions of experts.

What's happening in Sochi

After the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin announced a long weekend, the Russians, despite recommendations to stay at home and restrict their movements, rushed in unison to buy tickets to holiday homes and hotels in the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory.

Meanwhile, Aleksey Kopaigorodsky, the mayor of Sochi, suggested that tourists understand the current situation and postpone their visit to the city until better times.

“I understand that children have holidays, it's springtime outside and nobody wants to stay at home. But minimizing contacts at the moment is a very important measure. A separate request to potential guests of the resort: to treat with understanding the current situation and refuse to travel at least in the next week,”the head of the city addressed the citizens.

The mayor also assured users that the regional government is in full control of the situation with the coronavirus and is taking all measures to prevent the further spread of the infection.

Cinemas, fitness centers, swimming pools and other crowded places are now closed in the city. Their work has been stopped since March 26, according to the decision of the chief sanitary doctor of the region.

Travel companies, which have also been affected by the pandemic, have been granted exemptions in the form of tax deferrals. The epidemic caused the closure of all mountain resorts, including Rosa Khutor. Their work has been suspended until June 1, 2020.

Media reports clarify that city guests who are currently staying in hotels are allowed to stay at the resort until the expiration date of their reservation. At the same time, it is stipulated that there can be no question of its extension. Tourists will be provided with everything necessary for living in self-isolation, the number of services also includes food delivery to the room.

The hotels have been transferred to a high-risk regime, which provides for the implementation of the required sanitary and epidemiological measures.

What else is being done

According to TASS, referring to Sergei Domorat, deputy head of the department of resorts and tourism under the city administration, hoteliers of the region have begun to evict vacationers. They also suspended booking and check-in of rooms due to the current situation due to the coronavirus.

It also informs about the commenced process of refunding funds to everyone who previously purchased vouchers to the resort. Individuals whose tours include flights will soon be sent home on special charter flights.

“Citizens who arrived in Sochi on their own and checked into hotels before March 28, 2020 are strongly advised by the authorities to return to their regions, with which many tourists agreed,” Domorat said.

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Now in a number of regions of Russia, where there are resort areas, measures are being introduced to limit the number of vacationers by banning reservations in boarding houses, hotels, rest homes and other tourism facilities. This is practiced, for example, in Sevastopol, Crimea, Primorye, Karelia, Krasnodar Territory and Altai.

Due to the ban, many travelers decide to rent private accommodation, because there were no restrictions on this from the authorities. According to experts, now this is an absolutely useless undertaking. The Government of the Russian Federation strongly recommends the heads of the regions to suspend the activities of cultural recreation facilities: beaches, parks, entertainment complexes. In addition, all access to the sea is closed until June 1, 2020.

But tour operators assure Russians that bans do not apply for the summer period and urge them to purchase vouchers. True, no one can say with certainty that in the summer of 2020 the quarantine established due to the coronavirus will be lifted, and it will be possible to go to Sochi on vacation.

Whether to buy tours for the summer now

Due to the closure of borders, which deprives Russians of the opportunity to relax at foreign resorts, tour operators began to massively offer domestic destinations, including Sochi. Experts recommend that you still refrain from booking hotels, as well as train / plane tickets until the situation is clarified and wait until the restrictions are lifted.

It is possible that after the quarantine is lifted, prices may become an order of magnitude higher, but this should be taken as payment for guaranteed rest. In any case, it is not recommended to purchase tours in conditions of uncertainty, since there is no guarantee that in the future it will be possible to return the funds spent.

The tourist season is under threat

To say more precisely how the situation will develop in the resort areas, and whether it is possible to go to Sochi, is still difficult. But according to virologists, the epidemic may become massively spread across the territory of Russia in the fall of 2020.

According to the portal "Interfax-tourism" with reference to Irina Tyurina, press secretary of the RST (Russian Union of Travel Industry), in Russia there have been massive refusals of tourists from previously booked tours in Sochi. According to the expert, Russians are becoming increasingly uncertain about the implementation of their summer plans due to the current situation.

At the moment, the number of canceled vouchers booked for the summer is about 5%. “Part of the tourists still hopes to stabilize the stop and postpone the rest until autumn,” the expert sums up.

Meanwhile, experts note that the demand for tours to the resort city remains stable, there is no particular surge. Cancellation cases do not exceed the average for the tourism market - add the press service of the travel agency "Intourist".

Summarize

1. From March 26, 2020, swimming pools, cinemas, beaches and other crowded places are closed.
2. Also, the activities of mountain resorts, hotels, hotels and holiday homes were terminated. Such measures will be valid until June 1, but there is a possibility of their extension.
3. The demand for summer vacations in Sochi remains stable, the percentage of cancellation of vouchers does not exceed the average for the tourism market.
4. Experts do not recommend booking air and train tickets for the summer period until the situation is clarified.