Occupancy rates at Anapa hotels and number of bookings drop several-fold

Tourists have cancelled 60% of bookings at a large Anapa hotel; and they have already received more than two million roubles back. Employees of another hotel have confirmed that their bookings have dropped several-fold after the fuel oil (mazut) spill.

Dmitry Bogdanov, Chairman of the Expert Council of the Hoteliers Association (Association of Small Hotels and Accommodation Facilities, known as AMOS), believes that the drop of interest in vacationing in Anapa is primarily due to the flow of "negative information about mazut in the sea and on beaches." He has emphasizes that large hotels also offer alternative recreation forms: "... including numerous swimming pools, which can easily replace beach holidays."

Elena Bauer, General Manager of the four-star Dream Hotel Anapa, has confirmed Bogdanov's concerns. She believes that the situation with the decline in tourist flow is typical not only for her hotel, but also for other large accommodation facilities in Anapa.

Due to the refusals from the pre-paid tours, the amount of refunds to potential guests has already exceeded two million roubles.

This season, the hotel's occupancy rate has decreased almost by half compared to last year, despite good references about the hotel and its high ratings in search engines, Ms Bauer has stressed.

"This year, we see a decrease in bookings compared to last year by almost 60%, due to refusals from pre-paid tours; to date, the amount of refunds to guests has already exceeded two million roubles. Despite everything, we fulfil all obligations to our employees: we have not fired anyone, we provide food and pay salaries on time, but, unfortunately, to pay them we have to use expensive loans; the declared support measures to entrepreneurs are provided only for the health resorts with their own beaches, which can confirm the suffered damage. We have reduced spring prices by 15-20% compared to the pre-planned ones; and we have not yet revised our summer prices."

According to her story, the hotel offers alternative leisure options.

"We offer an animation programme, both for adults and children, wine and gastronomic tours; we have developed partnership programmes with a golf club, an equestrian club; and we offer excursions to nature reserves and other interesting locations," she has explained, adding that coastal hotels and other accommodation facilities that have encountered a large amount of mazut emissions "are still cleaning their beaches."

"In terms of strategy, everyone has a different approach: some have decided not to open, some are building swimming pools, some are hoping for the best, and some, like us, are looking for new experiences for guests who will still come despite the mazut situation."

Another large hotel in Anapa, the “Miracleon”, has confirmed a decrease in bookings to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "The mazut situation "has not gone unnoticed by guests," said one of the hotel staff on condition of anonymity, adding that the hotel is the largest in Anapa in terms of the number of its own swimming pools. Despite this, he has admitted that "the bookings have really dropped several times."

Now, many Anapa hotels and children's camps are having a very difficult time due to the current situation, Dmitry Bogdanov has emphasized. According to his story, "the main thing is that people are not afraid of negative news and go on vacation to Anapa."

The end of the cleaning of Anapa beaches from mazut is scheduled for May 13. On April 23, the Kuban (Krasnodar Territorial) authorities announced that the resort season will take place despite the restrictions on visiting 150 beaches in Anapa and the Temryuk District, which the “Rospotrebnadzor” (Russian Federal Service for the Oversight of Consumer Protection and Welfare) has recognized as unfit for bathing. There are posters set up on these beaches prohibiting bathing; and patrols with loudspeakers are on duty there.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 11, 2025 at 08:47 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.