Bad weather on the Black Sea coast and traffic jams on the Crimean bridge did not reduce the demand for holidays in Russian resorts

Bad weather on the Black Sea coast and traffic jams on the Crimean bridge did not reduce the demand for holidays in Russian resorts. On the contrary, in the Krasnodar Territory, the number of accommodation bookings increased by 20-24% compared to June and by 10% yoy, and in Crimea, demand increased significantly month-on-month, although it remains lower than last year. The dynamics contributes to the growth of prices, but the Crimean hoteliers have been reducing discounts for the most part.

Difficult weather conditions in the Krasnodar Territory and Abkhazia did not lead to a decrease in tourist demand in these areas. According to Yandex Travel estimates, for July 1-12, the number of bookings for accommodation in Sochi and Gelendzhik increased by 20% compared to the previous 12 days (June 19-30), in Anapa – by 24%, in Tuapse – by 8%, in Abkhazia — by 16%. Travelata.ru notes an increase in sales of tours to the Krasnodar Territory by 10% year on year, to Abkhazia – by 16%. OneTwoTrip talks about stable demand for Sochi, Tuapse and Gelendzhik, an increase of 60% in demand for Anapa and 50% for Gagra in July by the end of June.

Heavy rain showers on the coast of the Krasnodar Territory and in Abkhazia have been observed since last weekend.

Bad weather led to localized floods, swimming restrictions, the death of several people, delays in some flights from Sochi airport and the cancellation of trains to Abkhazia. But market participants interviewed by Kommersant do not observe mass cancellations of bookings. According to Ostrovok.ru, their share remains within the monthly average.

Sergey Romashkin, CEO of the Dolphin tour operator, attributes the recovery in demand to a “general seasonal factor”: in June, the water on the Russian Black Sea coast remained quite cold, and July is perceived as a more successful period for vacations. According to the representative of “Intourist” Daria Domostroeva, “additional demand at the moment” could ensure the growth of the exchange rate. “When the cost of the euro is more than 100 rubles. many tourists find it psychologically uncomfortable to travel abroad,” she explains. In addition, Russians do not always update their passports in advance, and at the beginning of this year there were difficulties with their prompt processing, Ms. Domostroeva adds.

Tourists were also insensitive to traffic jams on the Crimean bridge.

Oksana Shustikova, director of development and communications at Tvil.ru, says that between July 1 and 12, the number of bookings for accommodation in Crimea increased by 49% compared to June, but remains 56% less than last year. OneTwoTrip is talking about an increase in the number of bookings on the peninsula by 1.5 times by June.

Deferred demand for the Crimea was observed in July last year, and now it is more pronounced, explain in Yandex Travel. If in 2022 the number of bookings in Crimea in July increased by 30% compared to June, then in this year it is by 53%, the company says. Ostrovok.ru notes a 29% increase in bookings.

Taking into account such dynamics of sales, the cost of recreation at domestic resorts and in Abkhazia is growing.

According to Travelata.ru estimates, the average check for booking a tour to the Krasnodar Territory is now at the level of 100.3 thousand rubles, to Abkhazia – 109.8 thousand rubles, which is 23% and 40% more, respectively, than a year earlier . Ostrovok.ru notes that the average cost of a booked night in Sochi and Gelendzhik in July against June increased by 2%, to 5 thousand and 4.8 thousand rubles. respectively. In Anapa, prices increased by 5%, to 4 thousand rubles, in Tuapse – by 3%, to 3.4 thousand rubles. Year-on-year, the cost of accommodation in these cities increased by 6-16%, according to Ostrovok.ru. In Crimea, according to Tvil.ru, the average cost of accommodation increased by 11% compared to June, to 2.97 thousand per night. According to Ostrovok.ru, this is still lower than last year’s figure.

Daria Domostroeva notes that prices in Crimea are rising mainly in hotels operating on the principle of dynamic pricing. And Sergei Romashkin only talks about reducing discounts: “If in May discounts reached 30% compared to last year, at the end of June they were reduced to 15%, now they are down to 10%, and next week we can see an increase.” But, according to him, two months is still not enough for most hoteliers to ensure the economy of facilities. According to Mr. Romashkin, if consumer behavior matches last year’s, in September sales will begin to decline in Crimea. And in the Krasnodar Territory, he expects a successful end to the season.

Alexandra Mertsalova