From Sochi to Kazan
The regime of sanctions against Russian air carriers, visa restrictions and «nervous» exchange rates have forced many travelers to shift their attention from the capricious «abroad» to their native expanses. As it turned out, in our country there are a huge number of places where you can get vivid impressions, and there are resorts where you can get quality service on a relatively modest budget.
photo: baikaltr.ru
Since the beginning of this year, the popularity of domestic tourism has grown steadily. Sergey Romashkin, Vice-President of ATOR, stated this at the profile exhibition MITT-23, held in Moscow. According to him, last year, along with the traditionally popular beach resorts of the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea, Dagestan, Altai, Baikal and Kamchatka were in the top of sales.
This year, experts expect this trend to strengthen. “Traditionally, excursion programs are in high demand in the off-season in Russia,” Victoria Khudaeva, deputy head of the ANEX Tour Russia public relations department, told MK. According to her, this is often due to the fact that you can’t go skiing, and it’s too early to sunbathe. Nevertheless, sightseeing tours around the cities are quite common and are available for every taste and budget.
As Vera Gasnikova, press secretary of Ural Airlines, noted, Sochi Airport is now the most popular domestic destination. Most tourists come here from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg and Chelyabinsk. Among the new routes in early spring, she noted Makhachkala, Vladikavkaz and Grozny. “During the off-season, air tickets are about 20% cheaper than on New Year’s Eve or in August,” Gasnikova added.
The ski season in Krasnaya Polyana will end this year in mid-April, so there is still time to go skiing. According to Khudaeva, the cost of a tour for 4 nights with a departure from Moscow now costs from 18 thousand rubles. per person with double occupancy in a 4 * hotel for breakfast. The price of a ticket to the resorts of the Caucasus in March starts from 12 thousand rubles. per person with double occupancy in a 3* hotel with breakfast and departure from Moscow. A trip to Sheregesh will cost more — 31 thousand rubles. per person in a 3* hotel without meals for 4 nights with departure from Moscow.
“Before the May holidays, the win-win option is the North Caucasus. The mountains are beautiful in all four seasons. There are many inexpensive ski resorts in Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Chechnya and Dagestan. In addition, in the low season, the price-quality ratio for hotels is quite attractive, ”says Amalia Akopova, head of the Intourist Media Stars project. In her opinion, small tourist towns in Russia are still underestimated. And not only the Golden Ring, but also Azov, Taganrog, Arkhangelsk, Murmansk. According to her, you can also enjoy the winter nature on Baikal, here until the end of April you can ride on the ice on hovercraft (amphibious hovercraft. ).
“Each location of Baikal has its own specifics,” said Yevgenia Naydenova, tourism adviser to the Irkutsk governor. “Those who want to take a break from the bustle of the city rest mainly on Olkhon, where this year an ice plastic festival was held near Khuzhir.” Alpine skiers have chosen the slopes of Mount Sobolinaya near Baikalsk, and buoyers have chosen Bolshoye Goloustnoye, where there are strong winds. In Listvyanka, you can watch the seals. Tourists come to Baikal for an average of 3-5 days from afar (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, cities of the Far East).
Among the weekend tours, St. Petersburg and Kazan are beyond competition, Khudaeva believes. “A weekend tour could be Karelia with its Ruskeala mountain park and Kaliningrad — such a Baltic “abroad”, where everyone speaks Russian. There are many affordable glampings and boutique hotels for those who want to reboot in silence,” Akopova added.
Travelers' interest in Crimea is gradually awakening. “Last year, tourists waited a long time for planes to fly to Crimea and other closed airports. This transport uncertainty prevented them from making a decision to buy a tour in the spring and even in June. This year it is already clear that there will be no flights to Crimea, says Romashkin. According to him, due to rising inflation and other costs, hoteliers in southern resorts have already raised prices for the summer of 2023. Accommodation in Gelendzhik has risen in price most of all (+18.4% by 2022): a day of rest in this resort next summer will cost an average of 3,440 rubles. for one person.
It is clear that not everyone can afford such a budget. So it makes sense to go on a little trip now. While prices are affordable.