Tour operators have recorded fall in tourist flow abroad the third consecutive year – RBC

Resting on the central Sochi beach

Photo: Valery Matytsin / TASS

Sales tours abroad this summer declined by 25-30%. Some tour operators record recession in the region of 50%

Sales organized tours to foreign countries in the summer season decreased compared to last year by 25-30%, according to “Kommersant”, citing data from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) . In turn, travel agents fix deeper fall. P on data network “Hot Tours”, sales declined by almost 50%.

The number of Russian tourists going on holiday abroad, continued to decline from 2014, when sales fell vouchers 30% on a ruble devaluation and massive bankruptcies of travel agencies. The 2015 the results Tats were and nalogichnymi due to continue to reduce incomes of Russians.

According to Rosstat, real disposable incomes for the first half were down 5%. Russian welfare Reduction – T he primary factor provoking the fall of turpotoka abroad, the head of ATOR Maya Lomidze. Another negative factor she named the established in the past year against the backdrop of terrorist attacks and plane crashes background information. According to a survey of German Ipk International, the threat of terrorism affect the travel plans of the 40% of respondents.

Additional pressure on the market was closed sales in Egypt and Turkey, says “Kommersant” referring to the market participants. At the end of June 2016 in the Turkish area restrictions were lifted, but due to lack of charters and the threat of terrorist attacks demand for tickets to this country remains lower than before: according to company “OnlaynTur” Turkey’s share of Now have to travel 12-14% of the requests (one year ago – 35-40%)

According to a source the newspaper said in the tourist market, years of poor results. season also associated with an increase in the number of restricted to travel abroad Russians. If in 2015 it was approximately about 5 million people, mostly siloviki and their families, it is now “abroad is not recommended to leave virtually all civil servants , prefer expensive trips abroad,” said the source .

In trying to compensate for the losses, tour operators increasing their to promote alternative approaches, for example, Cyprus, Tunisia, Spain, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Bulgaria, Greece.

However, the main reserve, according to tour operators, is Russian domestic tourism. Sales Director of STC “Intourist” Sergei Tolchin notes that his company due to the increase of the charter of the program and cooperation with hotels number of tours sold in Crimea for the summer has increased two and a half times (at an average of 20% flow increase) in Sochi – ten times (10-15%) to Anapa -. seven times (+10%)

This is a temporary effect, warns CEO of tour operator “Dolphin” Sergei Romachkin. According to him, tourists refuse additional travel, an effort to cut costs. “Before, people were buying rounds of current assets, now, feels, this is mainly due to the savings that will soon be over” – adds Romachkin.

Sochi and the Krasnodar Territory in 2016 was almost the most downloaded, the Crimea has a small capacity, said Lomidze. In addition, demand for tours to Crimea and Sochi, according to her, will also deter the continued rise in prices.