"The practice of other regions shows that after the creation of the ski infrastructure, the load of hotels in winter increases by 30-40%, if we take the entire tourist flow for the year. These are, of course, huge numbers, an impetus for the development of Crimea. We, as a corporation, together with our Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Finance of the Republic Irina Kiviko, are very actively working to ensure that a ski resort is built in the Crimea. The peninsula needs to get the status of one of the ski capitals of Russia," the CEO said.
The need for state support
The issue of possible allocation of state support to the project was discussed with the Head of the Crimea Sergey Aksyonov. "The project is very capital-intensive and demanding to the territory where it is being implemented, since the proposed sites are located in protected natural areas. One of the main issues is the issue of water supply. In order for snow cannons to work, water is needed. In the conditions of our shortage, it is necessary to solve this problem not to the detriment of the environment and the inhabitants of the peninsula. Of course, [additional research will be conducted]," Dmitrii Vorona said.
Ai-Petri and Chatyr-Dag
In 2019, the Crimean authorities ordered a study from an expert organization on the suitability for skiing of the slopes of the Chatyr-Dag and Ai-Petri mountains. Specialists had to study the reserves of water sources in the area of future routes. Such an assessment was carried out in the region for the first time in the history of the region. The Yalta authorities reported in 2020 that there are not enough water sources on Ai-Petri Mountain to generate artificial snow, which complicates the creation of a ski resort there.
Crimea in 2021 for the fourth time in a row broke the record for the tourist flow for the entire post-Soviet period. In 2018, 6.8 million people visited the region, in 2019 – 7.4 million. In 2020, the season started later than usual due to the pandemic, nevertheless, more than 6.3 million people visited Crimea. This year, 9.5 million people visited the republic, and by 2025, the tourist flow is expected to grow to 10 million people a year.
Investment in Crimea
The Crimea Development Corporation has been defined as a specialized organization for attracting investment to Crimea and working with investors on the "one-spot shop" concept since 2015. As part of the implementation of a special procedure for working with investors, 223 investment projects are being implemented in the region, with a total investment volume of RUB 222.1 billion. In 2021, the volume of investment attracted to the Crimean economy exceeded RUB 115 billion for the first time. For comparison, in 2020, RUB 8.4 billion of investment were attracted, in 2019 – RUB 3.98 billion.