Pandemic hits tiny Moldova’s hopes for tourism boom

Cricova, Moldova
The vast underground cellars of Moldova’s Cricova winery used to echo with the sounds of hundreds of visitors. Now just a handful of guests wander past the huge barrels and endless rows of bottles holding its vintages.
“We used to have 300 to 450 people a day but with the pandemic… there are days when there are literally 15 people,” winery tour guide Vita Viznyuk told AFP in the cellars, her face covered by a black mask.
Impoverished Moldova, a tiny country wedged between Romania and Ukraine, has struggled to build a solid economy since gaining independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. One of the few bright spots has been its long-established wine industry, well-known in eastern Europe with significant exports to Russia, Romania, Poland and other countries.–APP