Визы, РСТ, Россия, Заграница, Транспорт, Волонтерство, Туризм и закон, RTN Tech, Туристам,
Главные новости

Shark attacks draw tourists away from Primorie

08:07, 19 августа 2011

The attacks of sharks-cannibals in Primorie can cripple local hotels’ plans for current season which is in full swing. The beaches of Hasansky Region, where two attacks have been recorded for the last couple of days, are traditional leisure destinations for the inhabitants of the Far East and Siberia.

The Head of Hasansky Municipal Region Administration temporarily banned swimming in the sea around Gamova Peninsula. The ban, covering the villages Slavianka, Andreevka, Ryazanovka, Bezverkhovo, Posiet, Zaroubino and the vicinities of Nazimova Spit, is to stay in force until the clarification of situation. The Primorie Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia reports that due to shark attacks in the Hasansky Region swimming in Sea of Japan by the Primorie shores is not safe. Local citizens and the region’s guests are advised to abstain from swimming in the sea, scuba diving and other water-based activities. State Inspection of Small Vessels officials in cooperation with law enforcement agencies are patrolling the coast of Primorsky Region. Local travel market players claim that there are not so many alternatives to these beaches in the region.

“We have other beaches on the Eastern Coast and in the Lazurnaya Bay with colder water streams and sharks are not likely to get there, but swimming in these waters in August is not too pleasant. During this season tourists prefer Hasansky Region. In this part of the Sea of Japan the water will remain warm until at least mid-September” – informed RATA-news the Head of the Far East Branch of the Russian Union of Travel Industry and the director of Vladivostok’s “Kanikuly” travel company Mrs. Olga Koudriavtseva. She added that most of the region’s tourist resorts are located within the Hasansky Region. Not only are they favored by Vladivostok citizens, but by the people of Khabarovsk, Amur Region and Kamchatka as well. “Due to the recent events it’s not clear whether we will still have the demand for these resorts. For the tourists mostly come there to swim in the sea” – says Mrs. Koudriavtseva.

Let us remind you that it was a 16-year teenager who suffered the shark attack. Before that in the northern part of the Peter the Great Gulf another young man was severely wounded by a white shark that bit off both his hands. Allegedly in both cases the victims were attacked by a white shark. This species is usually found at the southern coast of Australia, coasts of southern Africa, California, Mexico, Egypt, New Zealand and even Italy and Croatia. According to the Sea Biology Institute’s officials, great white sharks often come to the shores of the Far East Sea Reserve because of the warm sea current that flows here. However they don’t inhabit the bays of Vladivostok as the water is colder and there is nothing to feed on for them.

The current situation resembles the one that happened in Egypt last December, when the attack of a sea monster caused 4 people severely hurt and one dead. The demand for Egypt fell down by 25%. There is no panic among the tourists in Primorie so far. “Only a few tourists disrupted their vacation and rushed back home” – says Olga Koudriavtseva.

Not many tourists decided to cancel their already booked trips so far. “In our comoany we have only three of them. However, I think, this number will grow. We have a group of 20 coming to that very area where the attacks had occurred. Most likely we’ll have to cancel it” – says the Director General of “Mirabel Tour” Mrs. Elena Andreeva. At the same time she mentioned some calls from extreme-lovers who wished to visit particularly the Hasansky Region to see the sharks. The full picture will be seen in a couple of days. All the more so it’s not clear how soon the swimming ban will be lifted.

In the meantime the Chief Sanitary Officer of Russia Mr. Gennady Onischenko supports the local authorities’ decision to “close” the sea for tourists. He pointed out that it’s necessary to study the reasons for the accident and to adopt corresponding measures.

Обсудить в telegram

вам может быть интересно