Kim explained why Mykolaiv Oblast cannot open a beach holiday this year, unlike Odesa Oblast

In the Mykolaiv region, the beaches of the Black Sea coast cannot be opened for visitors due to the risk of artillery shelling, in contrast to the Odesa region, which is outside the zone of such damage.

Vitalii Kim, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, said this on the air of the telethon.

Safe areas of estuaries and rivers will be set aside and prepared for recreation, he added.

«Odesa is at such a distance that the Russians can attack with cruise missiles and drones — Shahed, and they reach us with anti-aircraft missiles and artillery. Therefore, we cannot launch a season related to the Black Sea. But we will allow recreation on estuaries, inland rivers, lakes, and inland pools. We can only dream about the season, how «Arkadia» works. Our goal is for the business to survive. Therefore, we will do everything possible, but not to expose people to danger,» said Vitalii Kim.

Tourism in Mykolaiv Oblast

The total indirect losses of the spheres of culture, tourism and sports of the Mykolaiv region amounted to about 333 million dollars. At the same time, in the Mykolaiv Oblast, due to military operations, the tourist tax fell by 72% in the first half of 2023.

The State Tourism Development Agency has updated the list of «Tourist Magnets of Ukraine». It included 170 important tourist spots, 8 of which are located in Mykolaiv region.

In 2023, the head of RMA Vitalii Kim announced that the tourist season in the Mykolaiv region will take place partially, as there are still dangerous places to visit in the region. And later he said that recreation near inland water bodies in the Mykolaiv region is not in great demand — local business cannot even «go to zero».

Last year, former People's Deputy of Ukraine Henadii Zadyrko, who currently serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a private soldier, was outraged that tens of thousands of hryvnias of taxes continue to be collected from a business that stopped its work due to a full-scale war.

At the same time, the deputy head of the Mykolaiv branch of the National Ecological Center of Ukraine, eco-activist Inna Tymchenko warned about the potential destruction of the unique nature on the Great Ukrainian spit in the Tylihul estuary due to unorganized tourism. At the same time, they announced the opening of the «Tiligul Club» sports and recreation area, which is located in the village of Ukrainka of the Kobleve Territorial District of Mykolaiv Oblast.

And since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Mykolayiv region has lost 7 million hryvnias in tourist tax.

Read also the article NikVesti «Does tourism exist in Mykolaiv Oblast during the great war?».