Tour operators expect a continued influx of tourists to Anapa during the velvet season.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 2.5 million tourists have vacationed in Anapa, with bookings increasing by 27% compared to last year, reported the mayor of Anapa. During the velvet season, Anapa will be one of the leaders in demand for vacations on the Black Sea coast of Kuban, tour operators are confident.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the work on pumping out fuel oil from the fragments of the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239", which sank as a result of a crash in the Kerch Strait in December 2024, has been completed. The Rospotrebnadzor has already issued permits for 111 beaches in Anapa. Earlier in August, satellite imagery from Planet recorded the continuation of the leak of petroleum products from the sunken "Volgoneft" tankers in the Kerch Strait. The beach in Anapa is covered with algae, and the entrance to the sea is marshy, according to a video from an Anapa blogger. Commentators noted that the beaches have been spoiled after being filled with imported sand.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 2.5 million people have vacationed in Anapa, of which over 2 million are in the organized sector, about 70,000 in children's health resorts, and more than 400,000 one-day tourists, reported the city's mayor Svetlana Maslova.
"We have 1,670 accommodation facilities with a bed capacity of 183,000 places. At the same time, about 200,000 guests are staying at the resort, and the average occupancy of industry enterprises is 88%. About 8,000 young Russians are vacationing in children's health resorts," she informed.

The dynamics of booking growth for the accommodation fund as of August 31 is 27% compared to last year, the mayor noted.

The most popular resorts in the Krasnodar region are traditionally considered to be Sochi, Anapa, and Gelendzhik. In the velvet season of 2026, they will remain popular among tourists, said TASS, quoting the president of the National Union of Hospitality Industry Alexey Volkov.

"The most popular destinations during the velvet season in Kuban will remain Gelendzhik, Anapa, and Sochi. They offer tourists family vacations and an all-inclusive system," the agency quoted him as saying.

At the same time, the vice president of the Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) Sergey Romashkin notes that Anapa is popular after the failed resort season of 2025: tourist flow has increased by 40%.

According to Sergey Romashkin, Anapa will host about 3.5 million tourists this year. Moreover, bookings for the resort season are more active than last year. If the weather is favorable, high demand may continue until mid-November, but the situation may also be influenced by the availability or absence of train tickets, writes 93.ru.

The resort season in Anapa opened against a sharp contrast in the state of the coastline. Some beaches are open and recognized as safe, while other areas are closed due to erosion, unstable soil, and environmental risks. A reference from "Caucasian Knot" discusses which beaches are ready for visitors and which pose dangers in "Beaches of Anapa: open and dangerous zones".

Despite problems with sand and algae on the beaches, Anapa showed the most significant increase in tourists in the Krasnodar region in July. Hotels are keeping prices in Anapa at last year's level and even holding sales, emphasized a hotelier.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, a crew member of one of the tankers died. Additionally, there was a spill of petroleum products, leading to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to a reference from "Caucasian Knot" "Fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait". Materials on the consequences of the fuel oil spill have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Ecological disaster in Kuban".