You can get away for a week in Antalya for about 200 thousand
The last summer month is on the verge, and many Muscovites still have not decided on their vacation plans. Someone has already waved his hand: it is generally accepted that you need to book summer tours in advance, in March-April, and now you can go on a trip only at exorbitant prices. It seems that 2023 refutes this rule: at least tickets to resorts in Turkey now cost about the same as a couple of months ago. Or even cheaper…
At the beginning of this summer, there was repeated talk that Turkey was turning into a vacation spot only for wealthy Russians — you can forget about last-minute tours and inexpensive hotels, and you will have to pay at least 300 thousand rubles on the Turkish coast for a week. Earlier, Vice-President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Ilya Umansky shared gloomy forecasts: in his opinion, Turkey will lose about 2 million Russian tourists this year. Despite the fact that Turkey had all the prerequisites to get more Russian tourists (primarily due to the inaccessibility of European resorts), in reality, demand remains at the level of 2022 and even slightly decreases.
— Last year, 5.2 million Russian citizens came to Turkey. We expected 7 million this year. However, unfortunately, due to changes in prices for vacations in Turkey and the exchange rate of our national currency, these forecasts have not yet come true,» Umansky's words are quoted by the media. — Prices for summer tours have increased by 47% in 2023.
Vacation in Turkey has really become more expensive than last year. However, prices are proving to be stable — and now, at the last moment, prices remain approximately the same as they were when booking early in April-May.
So, ticket prices to Turkish Antalya with a departure literally the day after tomorrow (for 7-10 days of rest) start from 23 thousand rubles round-trip. You can buy tickets to Alanya and back for 26 thousand rubles, and to the more sophisticated Bodrum — for 28 thousand.
Next question: hotel prices. Here the scope for variations is much wider, since each tourist may have their own requirements and wishes. A week in a four-star hotel (with breakfast) in the center of Antalya within walking distance from the beach will cost 100 thousand for two if you plan a flight at the end of this week. Those who prefer an all-inclusive holiday should expect about 150 thousand rubles per week. There are, of course, insanely chic hotels where a week will cost 1.7 million rubles, but this is hardly something that should be taken as a role model.
In Bodrum, a little cheaper: the option is only with breakfasts can be picked up for 60-70 thousand per week, and the all-inclusive option — for 120-130 thousand. Prices for «package» tours in this case are quite comparable with self-booking — offers for «all inclusive» with a flight start from 160-170 thousand rubles.
True, another problem is still relevant for holidays in Turkey: price fluctuations against the backdrop of frenzied inflation within the country. Today, for 100 dollars they give a little more than 2600 Turkish liras (for comparison, last September it was 1700). Accordingly, almost the entire Turkish business: restaurateurs, hoteliers, tour agencies, souvenir sellers, etc. — literally on the go raises prices. Those Russians who travel to Turkey for many years in a row feel it well, and they have to save even more on vacation.
An important nuance is that the resorts of the European Union are still open to Russians, albeit with bureaucratic delays. The path to some of them lies precisely through Turkey. One of the most affordable holiday options for Russians in the European Union is the Greek island: it is easy to get there from the Aegean coast of Turkey by ferry in just a couple of hours. A one-way ticket costs approximately 50 euros per person. All-inclusive hotels on the first coastline in Rhodes at the end of July will cost about 80-100 thousand rubles per week.
For those Russians who have a visa, as well as the desire and willingness to fly with transfers, there is also the opportunity to go on vacation to Europe. The cheapest flight to Spanish Barcelona and back in the coming days will cost 70 thousand rubles, and to Italian Rimini, not so long ago the former All-Russian health resort, at least 75 thousand.
And, of course, a win-win option in the current realities — domestic tourism, Russian Black Sea resorts. Tickets to Sochi for the next few days start from 15 thousand rubles (round-trip). Prices in inexpensive guest houses within a kilometer radius from the beach will be affordable — about 22-25 thousand rubles per week. For a vacation in a good hotel 3-4 stars on the first coastline in early August, you will need to pay 70-80 thousand rubles. There are enough offers: according to popular hotel booking sites, Sochi does not look crowded and busy for the whole summer ahead — horror stories that, they say, even a bed in the private sector cannot be rented at the last moment, are not relevant now.