Results of the spa season 2009 and prospects for future seasons. Interview with Andrew Sumtsova

- Andrei, how do you assess the outcome of the spa season 2009?
- The peculiarity of last season was that in the Crimea was in demand mainly low-budget and luxury travel. The average market share less in demand. Healing and Tourism Facilities Authority, as part of the national economy, along with the leading resorts in the period of the season in 2009 was influenced by the economic crisis. This is a global trend. In Russia, the fall in demand in the tourist market was 20-25%, in Latvia - 35%, Greece - 22%, Spain - 10,6%. Preliminary analysis of the structure of organized flow of holidaymakers in the Crimea showed the following results: the largest group of tourists were residents of Ukraine (60%). From Belarus to Crimea rested about 7% of the total number of guests. The number of Russians remained at last year's season - about 33%.

- Tell us more about the calculation methods of tourist flow.
- Since 2002, the count of persons who arrived in the Crimea to recreation, tourism and recreation, is carried out by the technique developed by scientists of the National Academy of Nature Protection and Resort Construction and approved by the board of the ministry. The main factors inherent in the method are as follows: date of beginning and end of the season, a correction factor for people with children under 7 years old, the average number of daily passengers arriving by rail is not the purpose of recreation. The most difficult to assess is nedouchtenny passenger traffic vehicles. In the past year due to logistics and organization of the tourist information centers the opportunity to take into account the flow of automobile tourists who entered the Crimea through Chongar and Armenia, and to determine their geography. The plans of the Ministry - the further refinement of estimates of the number of vacationers in the Crimea, taking into account turnover and the use of vacationers mobile.

- What are the preparations for the season 2009, from your point of view, yield the best results?
- Works on a survey the current state of the sources of mineral water wells and the Kerch Peninsula, the justification of the medical profile of the Black Sea resort areas and Razdolnenskiy areas. The results allowed us to estimate the potential of natural medicinal resources hydro autonomy to determine their prospects. These materials are basic and will be used for the preparation of declarations of the coastal areas of Lenin, Razdolnenskiy, Black Sea and Kerch areas of the resorts of the state or local significance and development are spa areas. In order to develop new routes, increasing the diversity of tours offered, incorporating the existing tours of new facilities show held scientific-practical conference "Scientific and green tourism in the Eastern Crimea," "active types of tourism: the desired and actual", the presentation of the objects shown, located in mountain-forest zone Belogorskogo district, the Congress of balneology and physiotherapy, with the participation of international experts. With the support of the Ministry conducted promotional tours for the leading tour operators from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, as well as representatives of tourist industry of Japan, International Tourist Fair "Crimea. Resorts. Tourism-2009 », X republican contest" The Crimean Pearl », VII International Exhibition" Trade. Goods. Services. Crimea - the whole year round. In order to attract flow from cities in the Urals and Siberia in the resorts of the peninsula in the season and offseason, promoting health treatment capacity of the Crimean resorts was conducted promotional tour for leaders of major industrial enterprises of the Sverdlovsk region.

- What role does the Ministry to regulate the pricing policy of the Crimean tourist industry?
- In anticipation of holiday season in 2009 the Ministry held a series of meetings with leaders of sanatorium establishments, travel agencies. As a result of these meetings, made recommendations to all participants in the tourist market: carefully consider the formation of pricing policies in 2009 in order to avoid unmotivated growth rates turpro product making its debut. Leaders accommodation facilities, which could best withstand the ratio of "money", worked the season with a full load.

- How coincided economic result of the season 2009 the projected budget? And what is the result of the season for the Crimean small businesses?
- In January-October 2009 to collect the budgets of all levels was 3.3 billion UAH, including on the resort regions of the collection of payments on the consolidated budget for the ARC within 10 months of the year - 1, 7 billion UAH that 54.9 million UAH more than in January-October 2008. Payments to the budget from the resort regions for 10 months of 2009 amount to 52,5% of all proceeds from the Crimea. With regard to the performance of small and medium-sized businesses in the period of high season is intensifying its work in all branches, which serve vacationers annually increases the amount of income taxes and payments in the budgets of all levels. So, for May-September last year, traders Crimea paid taxes and charges in the consolidated budget of 146 million UAH, which is 0.6 million more than the same period in 2008.

- What was the role of government in ensuring free access to leisure facilities?
- Adoption by the Council of Ministers of Crimea order of July 10, 2009 № 348 "On measures to regulate visits to places of public entertainment, beaches, territories and objects of nature reserve and forest in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea" allowed reverse the situation. For example, in the village Nikolaevka Simferopol district were open for free visits to two public beaches. The question of accessibility of beaches in the upcoming season will also be on the constant control of the Council of Ministers of ARC.

- What attracted tour operators in the Crimea holiday this season? How are upgrading health centers and strengthening their diagnostic and treatment facilities?
- subjects of management of resorts and tourism done considerable work on strengthening the material, including medical diagnostic, base of health resorts, rehabilitation and upgrading of accommodation facilities. In 2009 these have been spent 177.2 million UAH. In the Crimean health resorts are developed and implemented standards for the spa treatment and rehabilitation. Effectively uses unique methods of spa treatment. For example, the rehabilitation of children affected by man-made disasters. Sanatorium-resort companies for the purchase of medical equipment in 2009, spent 12 million UAH. Novelty of the season were: open after reconstruction of hotel "Ukraine" (Evpatoria), the new hotel "Villa" Sofia "(Yalta), private hotels" Drop of the Sea "and" Laguna "(the village of Sandy, Bahchisaray District), received the status of three star hotel Imperial hotel (Simferopol), the network of hotels operating on the principle of "all inclusive", as well as offering food according to "Swedish table". Our task - to tourists who come to the Crimea, could not only healthier, but also get a vivid impression on the rest. For example, in Yalta were such spectacular events as the Cup of Europe on the rally "Yalta-2009" international tournament "The Bodyguard-2009" international festival of film producer in Russia and Ukraine "Kino-Yalta-2009" and much more . There are new museums. For example, in Evpatoria open "house wine". His exposition devoted to the history of wine making, the promotion of the noble beverage, restoration of the culture of wine drinking. The museum's Tasting Room. The museum opened in Feodosia Tsvetayev sisters, who is part of the reserve "Cimmeria Voloshin. In Simferopol, opened the Museum of Television, a literary museum of the poet I. Selvinsky and Historical and Ethnographic Museum Krimchaks.

- What has been done to improve transport links, including to encourage inbound foreign tourism in Crimea?
- Each year, the Crimean delegation participates in the international tourism exhibition "1TV" in Berlin. The talks, held last year in the exhibition, including the Crimean enabled products in the catalog firm Dertur "and discuss the organization of regular chartered flights for tourists, sent by this company in the Crimea. In addition, the prospects of cooperation with such major German tour operators as "Olympia-Reisen" (Bonn), "Globalis" (Frankfurt). The company "Globalis" announced its intention to renew the charter program of the four airports in Germany in the Crimea in April-May 2010. In 2009, a 15% increase in the number of tourists arriving in the Crimea on cruise ships.

- What does participation in international exhibitions of Crimea?
- Tourism is one of the main parts of the social and economic situation in Crimea largely depends on how successful it will be the season. Given the above, we can conclude that one of the priorities of the Ministry of resorts and tourism is the promotion of the Crimea in the domestic and foreign markets. One of the image policy of the Ministry - the popularization of rest and treatment in the autonomy through participation in international tourism events, which also allows you to track market trends, assess the position of tourism services in the international market, analyze the feedback, learn from the experience of foreign countries, to conduct promotions Crimean tourism products.

- What are the key forecasts and plans for the season 2010?
- Among the primary tasks of - expansion of the holiday season, promoting healing capacity of health centers, the development of specialized types of tourism, improvement of legislative base of the industry, preparation of proposals on amending the regulations governing recreational activities sphere; skills development industry. Forecast for the coming season was still difficult. But taking into account the survey data holidaymakers, according to which to return to the Crimean resorts plan to 81,7% of respondents, we need to adequately prepare for this.

interview prepared Claudia BELOV , the newspaper «Crimean news»