AGERPRES special correspondent Cristian Lupascu reports: The war that broke out on February 24, 2022 has plunged Ukrainian tourism, especially that on the Black Sea coast, into one of the deepest crises ever.

In Odessa, which has some of the most attractive Black Sea beaches, the hotel industry is almost dead, as the very generous accommodation capacities remain closed, mainly due to the extremely low number of tourists. The scarcity of customers is attributed to fears of missile attacks from the Russian Federation, particularly in the port area, but also to the danger of washed-up sea mines going off.

The population is allowed to go to the beach, but is banned from bathing in the Black Sea because of the mines.

"Now, the sea is really riddled with mines, because whenever there is a little wind, the mines immediately wash ashore on the sand. Last year there were at least four deadly cases. A gentleman entered the water with his kid and a mine exploded. The child's life was spared, he was injured but got off alive. But the father's head literally hit the sand, however harsh this statement may seem," investigative journalist Grigore Cozma from Odessa told AGERPRES.

The local authorities in Odessa talk about an economic and especially social crisis caused by the lack of tourists, notably foreign ones. The standstill in the hospitality industry also had serious consequences on other activity sectors, such as transport or trade.

"The city's entire economy has been destroyed, not just tourism. Transport and trade are a component of the tourism business. At this moment, these activities are close to zero. At the same time, human resources are almost completely blocked," says Odessa City Deputy Mayor Oleg Bryndak.

He explains that the social impact of the plunge of the hospitality industry is greater than the economic one, because people lost their jobs and many of them had to leave Odessa.

"Speaking of tourism, nothing works. Tragically, our only tourism now is business tourism. Those who come are journalists, experts, but this is not tourism. I live in the middle of the city and could become a tourism analyst. Before, some 1,000 people would pass by my house, now there are just two passers-by. The place in front of my house is deserted. Tourism has played an extremely important role in employment. Most of the city's population was integrated in tourism services, and now the situation is bleak, many have lost their jobs," said Brindak.

Retired sailor Andrey Nedujiy is 63 and was born in Odessa. He deplores the situation, claiming that Odessa's beaches have never been so empty and expresses his skepticism regarding the improvement of the situation in the near future.

The former sailor tells how the Ukrainian Black Sea coast was filled with sea mines and waste after the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro.

"After the dam burst, coffins, dead people were swept our way. The currents brought animal corpses, mines and all possible mess. (...) There was a storm for several days, and the mines reached the shore and many exploded," confesses Andrey, adding that the locals are living a nightmare.

Odessa is Ukraine's fourth largest city in terms of population, with 1,010,500 inhabitants at the census of August 1, 2015. It developed mainly as a result of the activities of its port, considered one of the most important Black Sea transport facilities. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Florin Marin; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)