The results of the summer tourist season: recreation becomes the lot of wealthy people

IRINA MISHINA

Prices for domestic tourism have increased. And the quality?

Despite the rise in prices, according to the Russian Union of Tourism Industry, the demand for domestic tourism has grown by 17% this year. In total, about 17 million trips were made within Russia during the 3 summer months. The top regions-leaders of domestic tourism looks like this: Krasnodar Territory, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow region, Kazan. Crimea dropped out of the top of popular tourist regions this year for obvious reasons. Such data were brought today in The Russian Union of the Tourism Industry (PCT).

The current tourist season has also given an increase in prices. According to the President of the PCT Ilya Umansky, prices for domestic tourism have increased by more than 10%.

Moreover, sanatoriums have risen in price the most. The demand for spa treatment remains high, and these are most likely echoes of the pandemic and its consequences and complications. If we talk about the cost of a room per day, in Russian hotels it is much higher than the average cost of a night's stay in a hotel abroad. So, the average cost of a Russian hotel per day in a five—star hotel this season exceeded 15 thousand rubles, in a three-star hotel — 7 thousand per day. For comparison: in a Turkish hotel, the average cost of a room per day does not exceed 3 thousand in rubles. Regions with the maximum cost of placement in Russia — Altai, Leningrad region, Krasnodar Territory, Crimea and Moscow.

But wealthy tourists allow themselves not only this, but also more. PCT President Ilya Umansky cited cases with the most expensive booking. The record holder was a tourist who paid for 4 nights in In St. Petersburg, more than 740 thousand rubles, and in Crimea — a family of 6 people who paid 4 million 900 thousand rubles in 14 days.

The main problem with tourism in In Russia, according to representatives of the tourism industry, there is a lack of high—quality room stock and low salaries of hotel employees — it is 50% of the average in the regions. Hence the quality of service…

Prices to Russians for nothing: Turkey is back in the TOP

Air transportation played a major role in outbound tourism this season. Previously, our airlines flew to 69 countries, and in the current geopolitical situation, to 36 countries. The increase in prices for tours also played a role. It ranged from 20 to 40%.

According to the Vice-President of the PCT Dmitry Gorin, Turkey headed the TOP destinations this year, which was visited by more than 2 million 600 thousand Russian tourists over 3 summer months. Abkhazia is in second place (1 million 200 thousand), the UAE is in third place (more than 800 thousand people).

As for the most popular tourist destination — Turkey, the prices for tours there have increased by more than 20%. But judging by the statistics, this did not stop the tourists…

In general, according to the FSB, the current tourist flow in 2023 was 45% lower than in the pre-pandemic 2019.

PCT Vice President Dmitry Gorin drew attention to the special offers of the last days of August — the first days of September. The period when children go to school coincides with the season of unprecedented discounts: now you can fly to Turkey together for only 60 thousand rubles, but by mid-September the price of tours will return to its former course.

To the question «NI», what new appeared in the tourist destinations of the summer, the PCT replied that flights to Tunisia, Morocco, Cuba have resumed, flights to Goa, but the ticket will cost about 60 thousand round trip. The PCT also assured that the process of interaction with airlines is growing, and the number of aircraft is increasing. Well, I want to believe…

«Velvet season» — the lot of the wealthy

Inbound tourism also gradually began to revive. The top visitors to Russia are representatives of China, India, Egypt, Turkey. Electronic visas have radically solved the situation, as a result, the entry flow has increased by about 100 thousand this year. In the first half of the year, according to Marina Levchenko, General Director of Tari Tour, 187 thousand foreign tourists visited Russia. However, difficulties remain with obtaining electronic visas. According to statistics, out of 11 people, only get visas to the Russian Federation 7. Problems are also associated with waiting at the entrance and long checks.

The top destinations of inbound tourism are headed by the Far East, Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Golden Ring, Kazan. Recently, Murmansk has also begun to enjoy a great demand among foreign tourists.

The velvet season should become quite large in demand in the tourism industry. In the PCT, however, they noticed that with the cold snap, high—quality rooms and hotels with comfort — spas, warm pools will be in demand. Already today, the number of bookings for the autumn months exceeds last year's figures by almost 18 times. The regions with high-quality room stock are in the greatest demand in Krasnodar Territory, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Stavropol, in the Moscow region. The PCT noticed that during the «velvet season» people with high incomes mainly rest.

The PCT also reported that new, but long-expected destinations will open in the near future: Myanmar, Hong Kong, Indonesia.

However, these external destinations will become «expected» for the very wealthy, primarily because of the cost of air tickets. And domestic tourism, which sometimes exceeds the cost of Turkey, also, apparently, becomes the lot of the elect.