A rating of available New Year destinations has been compiled: how to save on vacation

Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka and beyond

Today, due to the geopolitical crisis, the world has narrowed significantly for us, but it is still huge – and the destinations open to Russian tourism are already skimming the cream from their own hospitality.

With the help of tourism industry experts, we have compiled a rating of the most popular New Year’s routes among Russians, taking into account the current situation, adding to the traditional “price / quality” ratio the equally important parameter “accessibility / logistics / attitude of locals” today.

Commenting on the top list, which turned out at the exit, experts immediately stipulate two main differences from last year – these are prices (growth from 7% to 109% depending on the direction) and direct dependence on logistics (previously popular destinations, even if they are open to Russians, in the absence of direct flights, were not included in this year’s rating – for example, New Year’s favorites of Morocco, Tunisia and the Dominican Republic, previously beloved by compatriots).

– We owe the geopolitical shock to the appearance in the New Year’s hit parade of countries that we would not even have thought of going to a year ago, – they say in the capital’s travel agency. – These are the Islamic states of Iran and Qatar. Yes, and the “good old” directions, habitually present in the ranking, due to global changes for this New Year, have their own specifics.

The top three that have emerged as a result of an analysis of early bookings by Russians for the New Year holidays will not surprise anyone, except perhaps in terms of prices. These are Turkey, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates: according to the total data of the leading players in the Russian tourist market, we can say that these three shared the New Year’s “gold”. As for prices, Turkey has risen in price more than all of them in comparison with the last New Year – two to three times. Two other winners also went up in price, but not so expressively, by 30-50 percent.

“Silver”, if we take into account not only organized, but also independent tourists, in the struggle for the right to entertain Russians on New Year’s Eve, Russia took: in terms of the number of bookings for New Year’s dates, domestic tourism is approaching the top three (30% of all bookings for New Year’s tours). The most popular New Year’s tour is to Krasnaya Polyana, and the prices are also impressive: about 100 thousand for accommodation in a “three-ruble note”, and this is not a hotel, but a recreation center, and the “stars” are assigned to it by the availability of amenities in the rooms.

Helped the Fatherland to reach the second step of the pedestal and the children who are waiting in their homeland in Kostroma Snegurochka, and Father Frost in Veliky Ustyug. There are also regional versions of “dead frosts”: the Karelian version of Talvi Ukko will be accepted in his estate near Petrozavodsk, the Mordovian Yakshamo Atya will be allowed into his residence in Saransk, and the Tatar Kysh Babai in Kazan. And at home you can celebrate the New Year in the company of the hero Alyosha Popovich with a tasting of Suzdal mead (during a three-day trip around the Golden Ring of Russia by bus) and in the homeland of Baba Yaga (the village of Kukoboy, Yaroslavl Region). It’s nice that in comparison with the last winter season, New Year’s tours within the country, unlike foreign ones, have risen in price by only 15-20%. And among them you can still find “atavism” below 10 thousand rubles per person, including the road.

The “bronze” of the New Year’s tourist hit parade is directly related to the presence of direct flights: 3rd place on this basis this year is shared by Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Iran. However, the last two will immediately be replaced by Indian Goa and Thailand, if direct flights are really launched there (promised from the beginning of November). Goa, in order to attract Russian tourists, has even come up with a new concept of “luxury”, believing that Russians now lack exactly this (institutions that have never risen above 3 * will be transferred to the “deluxe” category, and how is the secret of the Goan authorities) . And we will recognize him, the point is direct flights directly to Goa, and while they are not available, the prices for Goan “three rubles”, which have not yet become luxury, already exceed the Maldivian ones.

The Maldives, on the other hand, have gone down from luxury to the “mass market” accessible and popular, at prices equal to crisis-ridden Sri Lanka. According to our “test purchase” from 29.12 to 04.01, the Maldivian “four” with breakfast will cost from 260.8 thousand rubles for two (this is the cheapest offer for today), and the same Thai when launching a direct flight will cost around 240 thousand rubles for two. Sri Lanka on the same dates – from 288 thousand rubles for two, but for the “five” and with New Year’s dinner included in the price. True, there are interruptions in electricity, gasoline and food on the island, but the ex-Ceylon is trying in every possible way to please the Russians: for example, faced with threats of sanctions from the United States for the planned connection to the Russian payment system, the Sri authorities urgently developed a new way out. Now Russian tourists will be able to issue Sri Lankan cards remotely via the Internet, and plastic cards will be handed to them at the airport upon arrival. Together with the fact that the direct Moscow-Colombo flight was not only promised, but also launched, such efforts brought the island to the same level as the neighboring Maldives (there are only 650 km between the states) not only in terms of demand, but also in terms of pricing policy.

Until they raised the boards straight to Thailand and Goa, in the top and Iran, despite the fact that in a Muslim country there are no traditions of celebrating the European New Year by definition. Taking into account a direct flight, a New Year’s tour to Persia on our control dates will cost about 102 thousand rubles for two. True, so far Iran prefers Russians in organized groups on fixed dates, and such tours have already been sold out before the end of January. Individual tours around New Year’s Persia will cost from 130 to 225 thousand rubles for two, depending on the accommodation.

The fourth place of New Year’s preferences is shared by Cuba (for three nights from 300 thousand rubles for two with a flight when placed in the “three rubles” for breakfast and from 350.4 thousand rubles in the “five-all inclusive”) and Venezuela (from 219.4 thousand rubles for two in the “three rubles”, from 227 thousand rubles in the “five”).