Altai and Dagestan became the most popular destinations for the adventure tourism segment in spring and summer

Altai and Dagestan became the most popular destinations for the growing segment of adventure tourism in spring and summer, accounting for almost half of the demand. Another quarter is distributed between Karelia and the regions of the Caucasus, and promising areas are located on Baikal, in the Murmansk region and on Yamal. Market participants expect the popularity of the segment to grow, but note the limited target group of consumers.

Altai and Dagestan became the most demanded regions for adventure tourism, involving visits to natural attractions, in Russia in March-June, having formed 25% and 24% of the flow, respectively. Such data are provided in the study by MTS Travel, RussiaDiscovery and the Russian Union of Travel Industry. North Ossetia forms 10% of the flow, Adygea – 9%, Karelia – 7%. According to RussiaDiscovery, says company founder Vadim Mamontov, the number of such trips is doubling year on year. According to him, the entire adventure tourist flow is estimated at several million people a year. Oksana Bulakh, commercial director of the Alean tour operator, says that the increase is observed mainly from unorganized tourists and it is difficult to estimate it.

Ostrovok.ru says that the demand for accommodation in 10 regions in demand for adventure trips in March-July increased by 23% compared to last year. The most pronounced dynamics is in the Murmansk region, where bookings increased by 82%. In the Irkutsk region, the indicator increased by 73%, in the YNAO – by 49%, in North Ossetia – by 43%, in Buryatia – by 28%. The average cost of a booked night in popular locations, according to Ostrovok.ru, increased by 11–30% over the year. According to Yandex Travel estimates, demand for flights to Murmansk in June grew by 40% yoy, to Salekhard by 75%, and the average cost by 61% and 22%, to 13.7 thousand rubles. and 25 thousand rubles. respectively.

OneTwoTrip notes a twofold increase in demand for hotels in Ulan-Ude and a significant increase in bookings for flights to Gorno-Altaisk. Oksana Shustikova, director of development and communications at Tvil.ru, noticed a general increase in the number of tourist trips to Karelia, Altai, Baikal, and the North Caucasus. Fun&Sun notes that sightseeing tours form 16% of the company’s domestic sales for the summer. Demand for such trips continues despite the absence of active promotions and incentive programs this year, the company says.

Vadim Mamontov explains that the popularity of regions is growing unevenly. “Dagestan was able to develop several strong brands: Gamsutl, Sulak Canyon, Gunib, Derbent, and now receives the main flow of tourists to the Caucasus,” he says. MTC Travel notes that Teriberka in the Murmansk region in March-June of this year was visited by 1.5 times more tourists than a year earlier, due to the migration of whales this season. 26% more guests came to Seidozero and the Dzivgis Fortress, the flow to reindeer herders’ camps in the YaNAO increased by 31%. The general director of MTS Travel, Vadim Melnikov, also notes the seasonality factor: “As a rule, people go to Baikal in the middle of summer and in winter, the same applies to Kamchatka.”

The incentives for the growth of the adventure tourist flow within the country are general measures to support tourism and the creation of accommodation facilities in natural locations, Vadim Mamontov believes. And this process is partially hindered by the implementation of pent-up demand in foreign directions and the relocation of a part of the target group abroad, he adds. The general director of the Dolphin tour operator Sergey Romashkin emphasizes that about 5% of all tourists choose adventure holidays, and there are not many available locations for them. On the other hand, he adds, the demand for such vacations is supported by the general popularity of the “environmental agenda”.

According to MTS Travel, men (49% of trips) and women (51%) are interested in adventure trips within the country in almost equal shares. Most often, we are talking about tourists from Moscow and the Moscow region, who form 22% of demand, and residents of regions located near attractive locations. According to MTS Travel, 31% of such tourists earn 75-130 thousand rubles. per month, 24% – 45-75 thousand rubles.

Alexandra Mertsalova