The Kakhovka dam destruction holds back tourism in Bulgaria's Black Sea resorts

Bulgarian Black Sea resorts blame a drop in visitors to environmental concerns after the Kakhovka dam disaster in Ukraine.

 

Businesses catering to tourists on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast have seen reservations drop due to concerns about pollution after Ukraine's Kakhovka dam tragedy. Unexploded mines and pollutants were among the materials carried by the floodwaters of the Dnipro River to the shore of the Black Sea in Ukraine after the terrible event.

However, Bulgarian scientists claim that the beaches on the country's southern Black Sea coast show no signs of contamination so far.

"We guarantee the results of the samples we take on the northern Black Sea coast so far show no excesses. Since June last year, there have been no such increases”, commented Yamor Dimitrov, Head of Department at the Basin Directorate.

Bulgarian tourism experts speculate that a variety of external causes may have also led to a sharp drop in arrivals. One factor, and one of the most important things to consider, is the structure and quality of the country's tourism offering, noted Daniela Stoeva of the European Committee of Travel Agency Associations, as company are ultimately responsible for attracting customers.

Russia has been generally held responsible for the explosion that led to a catastrophic ecological catastrophe in Ukraine as well as abroad. Nevertheless, in Moscow's eyes, the tragedy was caused by Ukrainian rockets.

In June 6, 2023, the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was demolished, leading to widespread flooding along the lower Dnieper river in Kherson Oblast. The Russian military had taken control of the dam in the first stages of their invasion of Ukraine. The dam was likely destroyed by Russian troops, according to experts.

The dam's height was 98 feet and its length was 2.0 miles. About 279 feet of the dam's length were damaged in the incident. Local authorities reported that as of the 8th of June, the average height of the floods in the Kherson area was 18.4 feet.

 

Source: euronews.com