Private business to be attracted to Crimean and Caucasus resorts

By Vestnik Kavkaza

The tourist industry of Crimea is preparing for welcoming Russian tourists for the May holidays, but the tourist business mainly hopes for the summer period of vacations. The Crimean authorities count on 100% occupation of hotels due to Russian tourists. Valery Ryazansky, the head of the Council of the Federation Committee for Social Policy, told Vestnik Kavkaza about the modernization of the Crimean tourist industry.

-          Can the experience of the restoration of the North Caucasus resorts be used in Crimea?

-          I have learnt a lot about Sochi during the preparation for the Olympics and Paralympics. I think the Paralympics was an even more difficult event not for athletes, but for the organization side. Household conditions, transportation to competitions, catering, information support – these aspects demand great efforts. Sochi is a perfect example.

Resorts of the North Caucasus and the whole south of Russia are a good example as well. There are modern ski trails in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria (of course we wish the region was more calm), but in general they have everything necessary for the development of such resorts in our country. There is a lack of high-skilled professionals, a qualitative material base, and decent entertainments. We should work on these moments, including in Crimea.

Today you can’t make anyone go somewhere to spend their vacation, as people have a choice. To create a competitive environment, it is necessary to attract business. The Crimean authorities should create necessary conditions to attract private business and investments into development of the resort area. It concerns resorts of the North Caucasus as well.

-          How will the merger of Crimea influence the Russian economy?

-          At first we will help Crimea, and it is natural, as they should adapt to our socio-economic conditions, our life, as pensioners, children, young mothers, families, state employees shouldn’t suffer. As for further development, it will determined by the economic and social infrastructure and an opportunity for attraction of business. Crimea should develop, according to the same socio-economic laws as all other our regions; but I think at a first stage Crimea will get certain benefits.

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According to Ryazansky, “after the referendum in Crimea people should sit down at the negotiating table and work on numerous problems with integration of the new constituents of Russia into the Russian social sphere and adaptation of their socio-economic parameters. Pensions and social payments are not the only problem for the government and legislators. Crimean legislation is at the level of the early 2000s, when we intensively and serious began to deal with problems of the social sphere and distribution of liabilities. The peculiarity of Ukraine and Crimea is that legislation is rather centralized, and the volume of powers which Russian constituents have today in the sphere of social standards, operation of social defense bodies, the healthcare system are unachievable for Crimea at the moment.”

“Pensions in Crimea and Sevastopol are lower than our pensions,” Ryazansky said. “An average pension in Crimea is 5570 rubles, in Sevastopol 6200 rubles. It is a half of an average pension in Russia. Since April 1st it is 11 600 rubles. There are serious differences in labor and employment matters. An unemployment payment is higher in Crimea than in Russia.

The healthcare system of Crimea is actually financed by the state completely. Considering, capacity of the budget, Crimean residents got used to pay for medical treatment by themselves.”

The senator thinks it is reasonable to make major Russian regions responsible for various segments of the social policy of Crimea, form them to supervise Crimean social facilities.