Flooding and Landslides Dampen May Holiday Bookings for Dagestan

MOSCOW, April 7 – Travel agencies report a significant drop in Russian bookings for Dagestan during the upcoming May holidays. Demand has fallen by 27% compared to the same period last year, a decline industry executives directly attribute to severe weather that struck the North Caucasus republic.

In late March and again in early April, heavy rains caused widespread flooding across Dagestan. The capital, Makhachkala, and other areas saw evacuations. Power and water supplies were disrupted for hundreds of thousands of residents. Mountainous regions recorded rockfalls and mudslides, damaging roads and bridges. A dam breach at the Gedzhukh reservoir added to the crisis.

Alexan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Travel Agencies, stated that while operators initially saw no wave of cancellations, the second bout of extreme weather changed the picture. "The second blow from the elements naturally took away the Russian tourist flow," Mkrtchyan said. He noted that sales growth of around 7% has reversed into a steep drop.

"Roughly a third fewer tourists will come to Dagestan for the May holidays compared to last year," he estimated. The region's primary tourist season runs from June to October, but Mkrtchyan believes a recovery in visitor numbers this year is now unlikely.

He offered a cautious outlook: "If the republic can overcome the consequences of this devastation by at least June, then we might see last year's level, or perhaps a 5% decrease. That would be considered a major success for Dagestan this year."