A trip to Turkey for 25 million: an unexpected trend has emerged in tourism

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) named the most expensive tours abroad purchased by our compatriots in 2023. The record amount of spending was 24.5 million rubles. For this money, five adults and one child spent 67 days relaxing in a five-star hotel in the Turkish resort of Belek. The price of the tour included ultra all-inclusive meals and direct flights. The “silver” and “bronze” winners of this rating spent only 2 million less on tours to the Maldives and Switzerland. True, there were smaller companies (5 and 4 people, respectively), and rest time (16 and 8 days).

Note that ATOR compiled its statistics based on real data from tours purchased from domestic operators for 2023. So the principle “give me 10 million, and I’ll spend it in two days” does not apply here. Tens of millions spent on a family vacation (or a group of friends) are real here. And although the lucky owners of the most expensive tours, of course, are not named by last name, we can assume that these are unlikely to be participants in the Forbes list. They have their own business jets, yachts, real estate in “paradise” and even islands. It is unlikely that they, like “mere mortals,” would resort to the services of travel agencies. So we are talking about “ordinary” Russian millionaires who are ready to generously spend part of their wealth on vacation. We asked sociologist Oleg Maltsev to estimate the amounts that Russians spend on travel packages.

– So, a tour to Turkey for 24.5 million… You can buy an apartment in Moscow cheaper. How abnormal is this price for the market?

– Taking into account the duration of the tour and the number of people, it turns out that about 60 thousand rubles per day per person. Of course, this is a premium segment. On average, the cost of a day for one person in Turkey as part of a tourist package is 10-15 thousand rubles per day – either last year or in 2024. Premium tours, as a rule, are formed individually and include conditions of increased comfort. Therefore, such tours cannot be called standard. The market offers services for different categories of the population, taking into account their financial capabilities. For example, in Turkey there are also economy options that will cost around 7 thousand rubles per person per day, and there are also those that will cost around 100 thousand rubles per person per day. When calculating the cost of the tour, do not forget about the conditions of air travel. These can be cheap tickets in economy class, or they can be in business class – at a price of several hundred thousand rubles.

– How many Russians can afford such expensive trips? If such options are available on the market – it means there is demand. Or are these exclusive tours upon request?

– It is clear that few people can afford such expensive trips. This option is rather an exception. Otherwise, it would hardly be in first place in terms of cost.

– Can such prices from travel agencies be called fair, taking into account the price-quality ratio?or are they still overpriced?

– If we are talking about holidays for the super-premium segment, then the price is quite fair, since the conditions may include air travel in business class, individual transfer, accommodation in luxury luxury apartments in a certain location, individual travel programs and much more.

– How much do these amounts exceed the average cost of a tour abroad in 2023?

– According to the same ATOR, in 2023 the average cost of a trip abroad per person was 80-90 thousand rubles for a vacation lasting 7 nights. This is approximately 5.5 times lower than the cost of the most expensive tour.

–​ The most expensive tours were bought for a large group (5, 6, 11 people, for example). Is this an accident or a trend because it’s easier to save money?

– A tour for a large group, if they are not members of the same family, is cheaper on average, because the larger the number of people, the lower the price, given that the costs are divided proportionally between everyone. If we are talking about a large family, then you won’t be able to save money here, because the costs fall on the family budget in full. Russian tourists often go on vacation abroad with families of 3-4 people. Two adults and 1 or 2 children. People go on vacation less often with groups of friends and acquaintances. Although in recent years there has been a tendency for several families with children to unite and rent one large house for vacation. This turns out to be about half the price of staying separately in a hotel. However, it is unlikely that for the leaders of the rating, who are ready to spend tens of millions on vacation, the issues of saving through “sharing” are so relevant.

– What prices for travel packages will we see in 2024? Taking into account inflation, the ruble exchange rate, and logistics problems, will the cost of the most expensive tours become even higher?

– In 2024, prices should not change fundamentally. Although everything will depend on the dollar exchange rate: if it sharply declines, tours will become cheaper, if it starts to rise, prices will rise. There are no prerequisites for unreasonable growth, without reference to the dollar exchange rate.

Table. Top 3 most expensive tours abroad in 2023

Direction Cost Details

1. Türkiye 24.5 million rubles 6 people, 67 days, with flights

2. Maldives 22.4 million rubles 5 people, 16 days, no flights

3. Switzerland 22.3 million rubles 4 people, 8 days, no flights

Source: ATOR