Warmth of shallow waters
The Sea of Azov is the shallowest in the world, and its waters warm up almost instantly to pleasant temperatures with the arrival of summer. Because of its wide beaches and easy access to the water, it is sometimes called a children’s beach. At one time, many pioneer camps and recreation centers were built here. Today, many of them are typical abandoned buildings.
In the post-Soviet years, the coast clearly lost out to the colorful resorts of the Black Sea, Turkey and Egypt and therefore fell into disrepair. This region has its own permanent audience. As a rule, these are lovers of “ultra-budget” weekend holidays in small guest houses or in tent camps. For example, the city of Yeisk, the village of Dolzhanskaya and Taman (Kuchugury) are especially popular among Rostovites and residents of the middle zone. This, by the way, is an excellent alternative to the crowded beaches of the Black Sea with their eternal traffic jams on the highway.
However, it is clear that the potential of the Azov region is greater. According to Ivan Lizan, head of the analytical bureau of SONAR-2050, there are great opportunities in the development of children’s holiday camps, mud clinics, nature tourism, nautical tourism and agricultural tourism, which is gaining momentum today (for example, visits to wineries). Various excursions are also being developed: “The Commissioning of Peter the Great”, “Golden Ring of the Bosphorus Kingdom”, as well as cruises on the Azov and Black Seas.
What will be built in the Azov region?
Each large town or city on the coast will focus on its own type of recreation: beach, sea (sailing or windsurfing), visits to cultural monuments, art or “classical” tourist leisure (water parks, oceanariums). If, for example, in the Melitopol area (Zaporozhye region) there are many landscape parks, mud baths and beaches, then why reinvent the wheel? By the way, an ostrich farm, a water park, a dolphinarium and many nature-related attractions may appear here. The neighbouring village of Primorskoye has been known for its balneological sanatoriums since Soviet times. There is also a unique sandy spit that extends tens of kilometres into the sea. Nearby it is planned to build a year-round health resort with hotels and sanatoriums of up to five stars. Construction will begin in 2028 and the first 5,000 rooms are promised to be opened in two years.
Seven protected natural areas will appear near Mariupol, there will be hotels, a marina for yachts and even a new airport. Of particular interest to tourists in the DPR today are the Donetsk Kryazh and Zuevsky landscape parks, as well as the specially protected natural area of the Khomutovskaya Steppe – Meotida biosphere. This reserve will soon be 100 years old. Well, the republic’s access to the Sea of Azov will allow the development of beach and recreational tourism here. For example, in Melekino or on the Belosarayskaya Spit, with its wide sandy beaches and clean air.
Arabat Spit, a famous family and beach holiday destination near Genichesk (Kherson region), will not be left without attention. Near Yeisk and on the Dolgaya Spit (Krasnodar Territory) there will be a place for windsurfing and fishing enthusiasts to roam. Slavyansk-on-Kuban, which is located some distance from the coast, will delight you with agricultural and wine-growing excursions, as well as the Taman Peninsula as a whole.
Photo: Irina Teplova
Transportation problem
There are currently seven major ports on the Sea of Azov: Mariupol, Berdyansk, Genichesk, Kavkaz, Yeisk, Temryuk and Taganrog. However, passenger transportation between them is a thing of the past; only one cruise route from Rostov-on-Don to Novorossiysk operates on the Mustai Karim ship with a stopover in Anapa. The situation is deplorable because there are no moorings for passenger ships. They have not yet been restored, although some progress has already been made, for example, a floating dock that can accommodate ships up to 140 meters in length has recently appeared in Taganrog.
It is proposed to expand the route network to settlements that have not previously received tourist boats: Port Katon, Kamyshevatskaya, Temryuk, Shchelkino and Golubitskaya, whose beach is called Azov Maldives.
With emphasis on ecology.
Considering the uniqueness of the Sea of Azov, the authors of the strategy focus on ecology. Under Ukraine, former Soviet resorts were built chaotically and the infrastructure was critically worn out. It needs to be restored.
How ecotourism can become a magnet for tourists is illustrated by the example of the world’s oldest biosphere reserve, Askania-Nova, in the Kherson region. Its history began in the 19th century. The protected area occupies 33 thousand hectares of land, 11 thousand of which are virgin fescue feathergrass steppes, which have never been touched by a plow. This is the standard of the planet’s pristine steppes, which the ancestors of modern people probably walked on. The reserve also includes dendrological and zoological parks. Since the beginning of the 2024 tourist season, it has already been visited by 5 thousand people.
By the way
According to the ASI, the annual flow of tourists to the Azov coast will reach 15-16 million people by 2040. Tourists are expected to come not only from Russia, but also from friendly neighbouring countries.
