Countries from Turkey to Thailand, Egypt and Cuba are bracing for the loss of Russian and Ukrainian tourists just as their travel sectors were looking to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic.
James Longman reports from Lviv with the latest on the war in Ukraine.BELEK, Turkey -- After losing two years to the COVID-19 pandemic, shopkeepers in the heart of the Turkish Riviera had hoped for a strong tourism season this year to help keep their businesses afloat. But Russia’s war in Ukraine is fast dampening their spirits.
The turquoise waters and white sand beaches of the Cuban resort of Varadero, which until recently received a significant number of tourists — mainly Russians — are now almost empty. “Losing that market is a strong blow to Cuba,” said Natasha Strelkova, Russian-Cuban tour operator and guide on the island.
The November-to-March season when Russians usually visit is drawing to an end, and the plunge in the ruble's value makes travel to Thailand and anywhere else far more costly now, said Chattan Kunjira Na Ayudhya, deputy governor for International Marketing for the Tourism Authority of Thailand. “For that to happen, Turkey needs to have its robust tourism and trade ties with Russia unhindered,” said Soner Cagaptay, a Turkey analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
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