Discounts, air and water – Newspaper Kommersant No. 16 (7461) of 01/30/2023

After the liquidation of Rostourism, the issue of extending the cashback for children’s summer holidays was in limbo. Market participants turned to the government with a request to extend the program and allocate funds from the budget for this. Now the demand for children’s holidays is 47% higher than a year ago, largely due to the limited number of available foreign destinations. But some operators of children’s tourism fear that the lack of cashback will lead to a decrease in sales.

At the disposal of Kommersant was a letter from the organization “Promoting Children’s Recreation” to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin dated January 25 with a request to extend the children’s tourist cashback program for 2023 by allocating funds from the federal budget. The issue of extending the program “hung in the air after the liquidation of Rostourism,” the letter says. In the government apparatus, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko (in charge of tourism), the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Education did not answer Kommersant.

Valery Dolgikh, head of the coordinating council of Promoting Children’s Recreation, explains that while the decision on the adult cashback is clearly formulated (it was decided not to renew it), the situation with the children remains uncertain. The government, on behalf of the president, worked on this issue at the end of 2022, Mr. Dolgikh notes. Marina Nenarokova, head of the Union of Organizers of Children’s Active Tourism, told Kommersant that she was preparing a similar appeal to the government.

The cashback program for children’s holidays, which provides for a refund to the Mir card of 50% of the cost of vouchers, but not more than 20 thousand rubles, was in effect in 2021–2022. Last year alone, 811 thousand vouchers were purchased within its framework with a total amount of refunds of 10.7 billion rubles. These funds, as well as for adult cashback, were allocated as part of the national tourism development project. But for 2023–2025, the program is not funded (see “Kommersant” dated September 28, 2022).

The interlocutor of Kommersant on the market confirms that the topic of children’s cashback was discussed in the government, but there is no decision yet: “Various proposals were made, for example, providing cashback only for the rest of the children of war veterans.” According to Valery Dolgikh, due to the uncertainty with cashback, participants in the children’s tourism market cannot fully plan work for the summer season. Marina Nenarokova is sure that against the backdrop of a general decline in household incomes, the lack of cashback this year will lead to a reduction in the number of children vacationing in camps.

However, so far the negative effect of the lack of cashback is invisible. Elena Ryzhenkova, CEO of Incamp.ru, says demand for children’s summer vacations has been 47% higher year-on-year since the beginning of January, attributing this to a general rise in domestic tourism. In 2019, foreign children’s camps, according to her, formed 15% of total sales. But now European destinations for organized children’s recreation are closed, and in the summer Turkey and the United Arab Emirates will be available mainly.

Elena Ryzhenkova considers the situation with children’s cashback to be ambiguous: “On the one hand, everyone is waiting for a decision on this issue, on the other hand, some parents are already trying to book trips for the summer, fearing a rise in prices if the program starts.”

According to her, the cost of holidays remains approximately at the level of 2022, while half of the counterparties have not announced prices for the summer, waiting for a decision on cashback. The conjuncture on the children’s recreation market can still change noticeably: the peak of demand for camps falls on May, Ms. Ryzhenkova emphasizes.

Marina Nenarokova notes that now a good rate of booking is typical for expensive camps, where vacations exceed 65 thousand rubles. for a shift. They almost did not depend on state support measures. The drop in demand, according to the expert, will affect the middle and low price segments. Sergey Romashkin, CEO of the Dolphin tour operator, believes that in conditions of limited funding, it would be advisable to transfer cashback to the social plane, providing it to families with limited financial capabilities.

Alexandra Mertsalova