Russia Looks to Sharpen Tourist Safety Systems After Complaints Over Vague Alerts

A Russian lawmaker says the country’s resort zones still have room to improve when it comes to keeping visitors safe, particularly as the war in Ukraine creates new risks. Natalya Kostenko, deputy chair of the State Duma committee on tourism, told a roundtable that current efforts fall short and that officials need to move beyond one-size-fits-all emergency alerts.

Speaking at the Rosa Khutor resort during a discussion on protected natural areas, Kostenko noted that tourists and resort managers have been frustrated by blanket warnings about drone or missile threats. She described cases where a single alert would be sent across an entire region — from Sochi to Gelendzhik to Krasnodar — even when the danger was hundreds of kilometers away. “People get scared because they don’t understand what kind of threat they face or what to do,” she said.

Her proposed fix: use the GLONASS satellite system to send targeted, location-specific warnings. That way, a resort in one area isn’t alarmed by a threat far away. She also wants to develop a mobile app that shows tourists where to find shelters during emergencies, whether from attacks or natural disasters like floods. Kostenko said the app could be ready within the current tourist season.

The roundtable, organized by Interros in partnership with Rosa Khutor and the environmental research institute VNII Ekologiya, brought together scientists, business leaders, and officials from the natural resources ministry and the Duma. The push for better safety comes as more Russians choose domestic Black Sea resorts, partly because conflicts abroad have made travel to places like Egypt and the UAE less appealing.