With this article, I conclude the series on the development of tourism in the Azov region before the Russian occupation and its decline after it. In my previous articles and interviews “Restoration of the tourism infrastructure of the Ukrainian Azov region”, “Sea of Azov tourism before and after the Russian invasion: Mariupol” and “Sea of Azov tourism before and after the Russian invasion: Central Azov region” I detailed spoke about the state of the tourism industry in Mariupol, Berdyansk, Melitopol and Kyrylivka. Today I will talk about two, in my opinion, the strongest and most creative tourist assets of the Azov region in Henichesk and Nova Kakhovka.
Henichesk and Kakhovka rayons (districts) of the Kherson Oblast border the Crimea. They have a huge tourist and recreational potential. Arabatska Strilka spit has 60 km of sandy beaches on the Azov Sea side, and on the other side is the Ukrainian “Dead Sea” – Lake Syvash. In addition, this spit has several healing thermal springs and other balneological health facilities. From April to October, many interesting events and festivals took place here. With the support of local authorities, the second Tourist Information Center in the entire macro-region (after Mariupol) operated here.
The largest city of Southern Azov is Nova Kakhovka. It had a developed hospitality infrastructure – modern hotels, restaurants, and a good congress facility. One of the best wine chateaux of Ukraine – Prince Trubetsky with excellent vineyards was situated nearby. This region had as well as many rural tourist attractions, hotels, farms, and enterprises that produced craft products. The world-famous Askania Nova reserve was also located here.
HENICHESK RAYON.
My experience in the development of tourist projects, especially the experience of creating and developing the movement of youth hostels in Ukraine (1999-2013) and the project “Tourist clusters 300+” (2018-22), shows that the most effective are those tourist projects where the main initiators and the leaders are local entrepreneurs. This gives projects self-sufficiency and expediency. And if such projects are supported by local authorities and educational institutions, these projects become sustainable. That is why one of the most important tasks in the implementation of a tourist project is the search for enterprising entrepreneurs who will become its basis, and a little later – its support.
Our experts created just such a group of enterprising entrepreneurs in Henichesk during a series of trainings from USAID. The basis of the group was made up of hoteliers and restaurateurs, owners of establishments on Arabatska Strilka. Tourist entrepreneurs, with the support of our experts, initiated a number of measures to extend the tourist season:
- creating conditions for the development of MICE tourism,
- streamlining and developing the year-round provision of spa and wellness services,
- increasing the number and quality of tourism events.
In particular, thanks to our initiative, in September 2021, the “Crimean” Koktebel Jazz Festival was held at Arabatska Strilka.
In June 2021, the International Investment Forum “Southern Development Strategy” was held at Arabatskaya Strelka. We supported the initiative to implement two ambitious projects – the creation of a year-round multifunctional system of spa and health tourism in Strilka and the tourist and recreational development of the village of Askania-Nova.
KAKHOVKA RAYON.
I have known the managers of the tourist asset of Nova Kakhovka since 2005, when this city became the first in our case study for the development of tourist destinations. Every year, they held the Taurian Tourism Forum, at which speakers were leading experts in the field of tourism in Ukraine and other countries. At the Forum in 2021, our experts and I were the speakers. We were particularly interested in the project of local entrepreneurs to create the “Salt Road” tourist cluster. It was supposed to become the basis for the development of sustainable tourism in the region.
In April 2021, I initiated the opening of the USAID grant program for entrepreneurs and representatives of local authorities working in the field of tourism and hospitality in Henichesk and Kakhovka districts. Unfortunately, due to the occupation of the region, the implementation of this program was stopped. From that time, tourism in the Azov region practically ceased to exist.
OCCUPATION.
The Russian occupation of Southern Azov led to the complete decline of the tourist infrastructure and recreation of the region. Arabatska Strilka and the city of Henichesk were occupied in the first three days of the full-scale aggression. Magnificent resort hotels were turned into military barracks, headquarters and warehouses. Access to balneological and spa facilities was mined. The same fate befell Nova Kakhovka and other tourist and recreational facilities of the Kakhovka district.
On June 6, 2023, the occupiers committed one of the biggest war crimes against humanity and ecocide – the blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. Three conservation zones of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, protected by UNESCO, were flooded. The “Kazkova Dibrova” zoo in Nova Kakhovka was also completely flooded. All animals except swans and ducks died.
Unfortunately, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not yet been able to liberate the occupied territories of Southern Azov. But we all believe that this will happen soon and the region will receive a new impetus to restore the normal life of local residents and renew and improve the tourist and recreational infrastructure.
(c) Oleksandr Fainin
