SIMFEROPOL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th April, 2019) Crimea sees an increased flow of Ukrainian tourists during this holiday season and expects that the number of Ukrainian visitors will exceed 1 million in 2019, the chairman of the Crimean parliament's tourism committee, Alexey Chernyak, told Sputnik.
The Crimean border department of the Russian Federal Security Service said on Saturday that the number of Ukrainian tourists coming to Crimea had doubled ahead of the traditional May holidays. Over 10,000 Ukrainians arrived in Crimea on Saturday, while their number usually does not exceed 5,000 per day.
"Crimea remains the closest, the safest and the most recognizable touristic region for Ukrainian citizens. Last year, around 1 million Ukrainian tourists visited the [Crimean] peninsula, and this year, the level of 1 million will be exceeded, if the existing dynamics is in place. Apart from other things, this will be attributed to the change of power in the country and the exit of politicians who are hostile toward Russia and Crimea � [incumbent Ukrainian President] Petro Poroshenko and his nationalist team," Chernyak said.
The lawmaker added that Ukrainians had restored their "touristic links" with Crimea over the five years that had passed since the peninsula rejoined Russia.
"Crimea is open for Ukrainian tourists. They appreciate their holidays [spent there] and return to Russian resorts with pleasure," Chernyak said.
Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014 as a result of a referendum, where over 90 percent of those who went to polls voted for joining Russia. Russian officials have repeatedly stressed that the referendum was held in accordance with international legal framework. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the issue of Crimea has been closed once and for all. Russia has been subject to numerous sanctions over what Western countries consider to be the annexation of Crimea.
Crimean officials are divided over the possibility that Russian-Ukrainian relations could improve after Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has secured victory in the second round of the Ukrainian presidential election, assumes the presidential office.
