By
Rebecca Gibson |
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Odessa City Council have called for cruise lines to reconsider decisions to remove calls in the country’s ports from their 2014 itineraries.
In a statement issued by USPA, the group’s CEO Yuriy Vaskov highlighted that the ports of Odessa, Yalta, Sevastopol, Feodosia, Yevpatoria and Kerch are all in ‘normal operational mode and are absolutely safe for mooring operations”, despite Ukraine’s current political situation.
Vaskov said that all border and customs controls are being executed according to national and international standards, while the local police forces are working to ensure public safety in the city centres popular with cruise tourists. He added that there are no armed people in the cruise port areas, while all transportation systems, tourist destinations and roads leading to the sites are operating according to regular working hours.
“I can safely say that the tourist areas of Odessa and the Crimea may be used fully during the 2014 tourist season,” said Vaskov. “Currently, Odessa and the Crimea are safe for guests taking part in shore excursions and for those visiting the central part of the port cities independently. I kindly ask all cruise lines and tour operators who planned tours to Odessa and the Crimea in 2014 to refrain from cancelling the programmes.”
The Department of Culture and Tourism of Odessa City Council has also issued a statement urging cruise operators to proceed with their original plans to visit Odessa.
“The situation in the port of Odessa and in the city as well is absolutely safe,” said Tetiana Markova, head of the department. “Currently it is safe in Odessa for guests taking part in excursions and visiting the central part of the city. Odessa City Council monitors the situation on a daily basis and will inform about any serious risks if they arise.”
Markova added: “At the moment we kindly ask all the operators and tourists who planned visits in Odessa in 2014 to visit the city without any hesitation according to their plans. The Department of Culture and Tourism of Odessa City Council will make sure that all the necessary conditions for safe visits to the city are provided in the 2014 season.”