Popular destinations in Russia
Simferopol, Mineralnye Vody, Anapa, Kaliningrad, Vladikavkaz and Yekaterinburg were the most popular flight destinations this summer. This was reported to socialbites.ca by the press service of the SberSpasibo loyalty program. Train tickets for the period June-August 2022 have been booked by users for travel to Kazan, Kislovodsk, Krasnodar, Novorossiysk, Anapa, Rostov-on-Don and Petrozavodsk.
Russians most often booked hotels in Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Kaliningrad and Gelendzhik. Also among the leaders of the Krasnodar Territory. According to Ilya Umansky, vice-president of the Russian Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), this direction constantly attracts a large number of people, despite the significant cost of recreation.
In general, the expert described the demand for excursions around Russia as quite high.
The volume of bookings in Anapa and Gelendzhik drops by about 20%, due to flight cancellations. But the ATOR vice president noted that tourists are looking for alternatives: as a rule, people orient themselves to the resorts closest to their place of residence and can easily get there by car. The number of armor is increasing in regions such as Moscow, Vladimir, Tver, Yaroslavl and Leningrad regions and Karelia.
“Furthermore, Russians are looking for a substitute for beach holidays, and this is probably the most positive trend felt in recent years: we’re seeing tourists start traveling around Russia to explore extraordinary places,” said Umansky. An interview with “socialbites.ca”.
Species, nature and health
ATOR Vice President reminded that historically, the number of passengers in Russia exceeded the number of passengers abroad.
“The flow of domestic tourism has always been 3-4 times higher than outbound tourism. For this year, the advantage will remain in any case, we can say that less tourists will go abroad compared to last year, ”said Umansky.
This trend is confirmed, among other things, by the active development of new types of tourism. Sergey Krivonosov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Commission on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, explained that glamping, or ecotourism, is becoming increasingly popular within the Russian Federation.
It is planned to consider a bill that will define this concept, the location of eco-hotels and facilitate the creation of such accommodation.”
The deputy believes that the work carried out in this area will significantly increase the number of glamping in Russia in the near future. This will give people the opportunity to relax in unique places and be closer to nature.
Natalia Osipova, Executive Director of the Association of Travel Agencies (ATA), said that against the background of the coronavirus pandemic, rest in sanatoriums has become important for Russians.
Also, according to Osipova, there is a high demand for summer trips to Chechnya, Dagestan and South Ossetia – tourists want to enjoy natural sights and visit cultural attractions, a lasting interest is observed in Altai and Kamchatka. The expert emphasized that automobile tourism on the territory of the Russian Federation is also gaining popularity.
trips abroad
The press service of the SberSpasibo loyalty program reported that Russians abroad have booked hotels in Istanbul, Minsk and Dubai, and many of them plan to go to Baku. Natalia Osipova added: In addition to Turkey and the UAE, the most requested foreign destinations include Egypt and Abkhazia.
At the same time, the demand for outbound tourism is falling.
The expert attributed this to the inaccessibility of a number of destinations, a significant increase in airfares and a security issue that plagues many tourists.
“Attitudes towards Russians abroad are actively discussed in the network, many of them have prejudices of foreigners and concerns about their own safety on holidays,” said Umansky, Vice President of ATOR.
Despite these factors, it is seeing movement towards a recovery in outbound tourism, aided by the resumption of regular flights to Turkey and Egypt, and sees access to other destinations emerging as well.
At the same time, due to the current restrictions on air travel and the withdrawal of a number of foreign airlines from the Russian market, travel to other countries has become less convenient. Natalia Osipova reminded that it is possible to reach many countries only with the help of connecting flights. However, she thinks the tendency to refuse to travel abroad, especially during the summer season, is unlikely.
“Anything that is uncomfortable in travel naturally affects demand. We are used to flying directly, connections and transfers are new to us. But I think we will get used to it, ”the expert says confidently.
Currently, you can fly to Turkey, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, you can buy non-stop tickets for regular flights, they offer it to those who want to go to the Maldives and Seychelles.
Mostly individual tourists with visas prefer to travel to Europe. However, Osipova stressed that such trips will inevitably require a change in a third-party city, sometimes even several.
summer vacation prices
Deputy Sergei Krivonosov said that for Russians, a vacation within the country will be more profitable.
“We will continue to take all measures to keep prices stable in domestic holiday destinations. Because some entrepreneurs have a desire to increase their profits due to the situation around travel restrictions abroad. We see it as a necessary condition for it to be within reason,” he said.
Ilya Umansky says that short-term periods of increase in travel costs in Russia can be explained by the rising dollar and the need for hotels to import.
After the situation in the foreign exchange market stabilized, prices changed, and the fluctuations in the next holiday season will be insignificant: prices will increase by 10% compared to last year.
But this is not the finale yet, we’ll have to see what the season will be like. “The ratio of supply and demand plays the first fiddle in domestic aspects,” said ATOR Vice President.
Talking about travel prices abroad, he drew attention to the role of the exchange rate. At a time when a dollar cost 150 rubles, the cost of tours for many Russians became almost out of reach. But now, prices have fallen, including against the backdrop of a lack of demand. According to Umansky, the amounts allocated by Russians for international travel did not change significantly compared to last year.
However, many people notice an increase in the cost of tours. ATA Executive Director Natalia Osipova noted that the main difference is reflected in the airfare prices.
“It will cost 15-30% more to travel abroad due to overflight in some regions: travel time is longer and the cost of rest increases. The final amount depends on the property, ticket and airline.
On the contrary, in Crimea, prices have fallen somewhat due to poor transport accessibility. “People want to go there, but in a month and a half all the tickets are sold out, obviously there are not enough trains, tourists have to go by car,” he said.
Source: Gazeta
