In the summer of 2023, Turkish holidays for Russian travelers faced higher prices compared with the 2022 season. This trend was reported by the press service of Travelata.ru, cited by the news agency RIA Novosti in its coverage of the market for online tour bookings.
Oleg Kozyrev, who heads marketing at Travelata.ru, noted that the typical expenditure for a Southeast European getaway stood at about 226 thousand rubles. Almost half of Travelata.ru customers were planning to fly to Turkey, signaling a strong preference for the country despite rising costs.
Market data from the Russian Express tour operator indicated a roughly 30 percent jump in tour prices to Turkish resorts. As Anna Filatovskaya, the director for advertising and PR at Russian Express, explained, the minimum price for a stay at a four star all inclusive hotel in early June began around 189.4 thousand rubles. For a seven-night trip for two people in a five star hotel under the same terms, the price hovered near 168 thousand rubles.
Industry observers also weighed in on how these shifts could affect Russian travelers in 2023. Taras Kobishchanov, vice president of the Russian Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) and general manager of Russian Express, suggested that as prices climbed, many Russian tourists might reassess their plans and possibly refrain from visiting Turkey. The projection pointed to a substantial number of potential travelers reconsidering their holidays amid higher costs, with estimates ranging up to two million people possibly changing their destinations or deferring trips.
More recently, Maya Lomidze, ATOR’s executive director, mentioned that some hotels in Turkey had begun offering reductions of 10 to 15 percent in response to pressure from various tour operators. This trend indicated an effort to balance the price environment and attract travelers who might otherwise opt for alternative destinations or shorter stays. The overall takeaway was that Turkish resorts were managing price expectations, even as they faced higher baseline costs and sporadic discounting to sustain demand [citation: RIA Novosti via Travelata.ru report; Russian Express statements; ATOR briefing].