Where and for what money will the Russians go this year
On the eve of the big summer tourist season, vacations are growing in price. All components of the voucher are becoming more expensive: logistics, transport, hotel rooms, food. For this reason, the final cost of the tourism product is becoming more and more. And for many Russians, the question of how to organize a vacation for themselves and keep within a fairly modest family budget becomes relevant. Where will travelers go during the May holidays and in the summer? How much are you willing to pay for your vacation? How to save money on a trip? Experts spoke about this at the round table in MK: Yury Barzykin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, Dmitry Gorin, chairman of the board of directors of the Vipservice holding, Alexander Osaulenko, director of the Turpomoshch association.
The trend continues not only last year, but also the four-day February holidays, when many of our compatriots went on a tour of the country. Now people are actively gathering in Sochi, the Krasnodar Territory, including Anapa. Last year, Crimea lost about 30% of tourists due to the closure of airports in southern Russia. In 2023, bookings increased slightly (+15%), although there will still be overall losses.
The leading destination in terms of tourist flow is St. Petersburg, the north-west of the country as a whole, including Karelia. The northern capital received 33% more tourists last year and is already showing an increase in the flow of tourists by another 10-15%. Also, Russians go on vacation to Moscow, the Moscow region, the cities of the Golden Ring. In 2022, the North Caucasus entered the top five destinations that tourists love. This year the trend has continued. Travelers also like to visit Tatarstan, especially Kazan. These are perhaps the main destinations for May.
Now tourists can visit 35 countries without transfers. Meanwhile, earlier, in pre-pandemic and pre-sanction times, 69 international destinations were available to Russians, where direct flights flew. The leader route today is obvious — it is Türkiye. Last year, 5.2 million Russians rested in this country. Plans for this year are also serious, especially since the number of flights per week there has been increased. They will be carried out from 18 cities of Russia to 5 cities of Turkey. Transportation will be carried out by 5 Turkish airlines, 11 Russian ones. And I will now name a figure that should add optimism: in 2023, 1,200 flights will be operated weekly during the peak season (July-August), both charter and regular. Last year there were 750 flights.
But not only Türkiye is available to our tourists. A large flight program to the United Arab Emirates has been developed. Russia ranks 2nd in terms of arrivals of travelers to the UAE: trips grew by 67% and these are very impressive numbers. Thailand, which was closed for a long time due to coronavirus restrictions, has already been visited by 600,000 of our tourists, and by the end of the year, maybe we will reach pre-pandemic volumes. And, of course, Egypt. These are top destinations, but do not forget that there is also Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, and even the Seychelles, as well as our closest neighbors — Armenia, Azerbaijan.
Here, too, everything is not so bad. For example, in the same period last year, round-trip tickets to Turkey cost 100,000 rubles. Now prices start from 20 thousand. Of course, if we consider flights on the most popular dates, then only 40-50 thousand rubles must be laid down to pay for the flight. By the way, I want to note that until now (the conversation took place 10 days before the start of the May holidays. — Auth.) Tour operators and travel agents have options for tours for the May holidays. True, the average packages bite at a price. For example, a ticket to a 3-star hotel for 7–10 days for two, including a flight, will cost about 150 thousand rubles, to a 4-star hotel — 200–250 thousand.
Our tourists are not afraid of anything. The first reaction of Russian travelers to the cataclysms that occur in different countries is calls to their tour operators and the question: “How much have hotels become cheaper?” And I'm not joking now — this is a characteristic feature of the Russian tourist. Therefore, the demand for Turkey is not falling, but on the contrary, it is growing quite well and dynamically.
This year, market participants are set for new records in terms of tourist flow from Russia. Moreover, over the past 10–12 years, the system for ensuring the safety of Russian tourists has not stood still and has developed. Now it is considered one of the best in the world. The security benefits of organized tourism are so obvious that most independent travelers (those who previously designed their tours without the help of outside organizations) began to use the services of specialized companies. The trend is observed both in international directions and in domestic ones.
Here the situation is paradoxical. Today, the average check is even slightly lower than last year. On average, now there are about 40 thousand per person for 7-10 days. The amount includes travel, accommodation.
As for outbound tourism, prices, on the contrary, increased by 2–2.5 times. True, the rise in price is compensated by diversification by region: you can fly not only through Moscow, but also from other cities, which means that there are options to save on tickets. Therefore, in the overall tourism product (organized or independent), the increase in prices for peak dates is more modest — up to 20%.
This year, more than half of the countries where we used to fly direct have reopened. Compared to last year, of course, there is a fairly serious increase in the number of tourists. And these destinations are beginning to compete — which is certainly good for travelers: prices in the domestic market are restrained in their growth.
Everything is relative. In June last year, we had only 44 foreign-made aircraft, which could be sent to other countries without the risk of arrests. Now there are already more than 200 of them. But we must understand that this is not the entire fleet. Our ratio is approximately the following: 20% (which is a very good result in the current realities!) for international flights and 80% for domestic flights. But, of course, we cannot yet reach the numbers of 2019 and even 2021. Simply because many countries do not accept dual-registration aircraft. Meanwhile, residents of a number of regions of the country do not have to fly to Moscow if there is no direct flight to other countries — they can fly through other connecting hubs.
It should be borne in mind that the flight is 40%, and sometimes all 70% of the cost of the entire trip. The more competition, the more options to fly to your destination, the more stable prices. The only advice to consumers: do not rely on last-minute tickets. Carriers have dynamic pricing, and the latest flight tickets are always more expensive.
Of the 27 EU countries, 17 continue to issue Schengen visas. In addition, Russians today have about a million valid visas in their hands. But its presence in the passport is not a guarantee of crossing the EU border. For example, our closest neighbors — Poland, the Baltic countries and Finland — do not let Russian tourists in even with a valid visa. Other countries may be more picky about formalities. Insurance, hotel reservations, cash, return tickets — all this can be asked at the border. Be prepared for questions, print all papers in advance in English or in the language of the country where you are going. Today it is worth having an extended package of documents on hand.
The market is quite stable. Over the past 3 years, the number of tour operators in the federal register has not changed much. As for the outbound segment, there is a slight reduction, but it does not exceed 10%. As of January 1, 2022, there were 412 companies in the register of tour operators in the field of outbound tourism, this year — 396. The state provided strong support to companies so that they remain on the market. This is a positive thing for consumers. Only the current operator can pay off debts with travelers, as well as make the next tour or replace it.
According to the Federal Agency for Tourism, in the spring of 2022, the total amount of debt was around 65 billion rubles. Already in the fall (November-early December), this figure decreased by more than 6 times — somewhere up to 10 billion. Today we are talking about the fact that the debt is about 1.2-1.5 billion rubles. Operators, agents understand their responsibility, and debts are being paid off.
The demand for river cruises has grown by about 40%. This year, 370-400 thousand tourists will go on cruises. If we talk about approximate prices, then, for example, 3 days along the Volga will cost 17 thousand per person. The price includes meals (3 times), accommodation (2-4-bed cabins). Excursions are purchased additionally. No one is offering any services. But there are also premium cruises. For example, 10 days on the all-inclusive system to Valaam via St. Petersburg will cost 150 thousand. But this is with an excursion program, and, believe me, it's worth it. As for the price of 500 thousand rubles, then we can talk about expeditionary cruises along the Yenisei or Baikal. These trips are special, with their own conditions, provision, excursions. A tour to the Yenisei is one of the most expensive. There is only one boat on the route. All cruises are sold as early as March and for the entire season until the end of October. Also, do not forget that a number of Russians have preferences for buying a cruise. You can, for example, get a pension discount of 3 to 5%. But for May it is already very difficult to book a tour. And for the summer season, almost sure, everything will be booked.
River cruises are an extremely demanded service, but we need to think about something else: the arrangement of port points, the deepening of the fairways. And the boats themselves are 15, 20, or even all 40 years old. Yes, they are safe, yes, they are serviced, but believe me, it is much more pleasant to travel on a new vessel with panoramic windows than on an old one from the Soviet era, although retro style is also in demand.
On the one hand, this is a different country, but at the same time, transportation and logistics are internal. Tourists come to the port of Adler and literally in 3 minutes they are already at the border point. Entry is carried out on Russian passports, the currency is the Russian ruble, all bank cards and telephones work. And the prices, let's say, are not Sochi at all. Everything is much cheaper. Of course, Abkhazia attracts those tourists who are interested in the economy segment for the price. Our partners in Abkhazia say that this year they are ready to receive about 2.5-3 million Russian tourists. The main deterrent for the tourist flow is checkpoints. Unfortunately, this is one land bottleneck, but air links should open by the end of this year. There is also information that sea vessels will be launched in 2023, which will sail from Sochi to Sukhum.
The Kaliningrad region is in great demand. Yes, there are resorts there, yes, the sea is a little colder, but it's better for health. There is also the Azov coast, the Caspian Sea in Dagestan — there are already 4-star hotels and beaches there. Yes, this is not the UAE, but the water is warm, the sand is fine, and the opportunity to go there is real. By the way, there are foreign options. For example, in the summer it is planned to open charter programs to Kazakhstan.
Firstly, if you are planning a vacation, then clearly define the dates. A pre-booked tour is at least minus 10-12% of the price. And second: choose only an organized tour. This is a guarantee that the trip will take place, and the money will not go anywhere. Only organized tourists, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, have guarantees for their financial costs.
If you are planning a vacation with children, then check in advance what bonuses and preferences are available to you. As a rule, discounts of up to 50% are provided for children under 12 years old, and very young travelers (under 6 years old) are often admitted for free.
Probably worth looking at new destinations. If the budget of Turkey does not fit, then through tour operators you can now find alternative offers and even cheaper ones. I repeat after my colleagues: early booking is a very important aspect. Feel free to change days, weeks of departures. This can lead to serious savings.