During the tourist season, Russians spent a third more on vacations within the country than last year

This year, during the peak tourist season, which lasts from May to September, Russians’ spending on domestic holidays increased by almost a third year-on-year. They spent 37% more on travel and hotels, and related expenses increased by 19%. The reason for this is the increase in prices for almost all services. This, experts do not rule out, will restrain the increase in domestic tourism next year.

Tourist spending on travel around Russia in May-September increased by 31% year-on-year, according to a joint study by SberIndex, Anex Tour and OneTwoTrip. This was due to an overall increase in the number of trips within the country by 9.9% year-on-year and a 21% increase in spending per person. Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Dmitry Gorin estimates the growth of domestic tourism by 10%. Vice-President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Sergei Romashkin speaks of 5–6%. “There are regions where we saw growth, but there are also regions where we saw a decline – for example, Crimea,” he explains. The expert adds that in the summer season this year, the flow of tourists to the Krasnodar Territory increased by only 1.5–2%, which can hardly “be considered a successful dynamic.”

Spending by tourists has increased noticeably due to rising prices, Mr. Romashkin has no doubt. In total, in May-September, 40.1 million tourists spent 840 billion rubles on trips around the country using Sberbank cards. Accommodation and travel expenses, which make up 72% of the travel budget, increased by 37% year-on-year. The average cost of a booked night in accommodation facilities in the country on average in the summer, according to Ostrovok.ru, amounted to 4.7 thousand rubles, an increase of 12% year on year. The average booking bill increased by 17%, to 13.2 thousand rubles. for three nights. Russians, according to OneTwoTrip estimates, spent an average of 7.1 thousand rubles on train tickets, or 2.9% more year-on-year, and air travel rose in price by 7.5%, to 7.2 thousand rubles. one way.

Related expenses of Russians while traveling around the country increased by 19% year on year, the study notes. Of the total amount of these expenses, tourists spent 36% on buying groceries, 21% on going to cafes and restaurants, 12% on medical and beauty services, 11% on clothes and shoes, while on entertainment and sports during their vacation. only 4%. However, OnlineTur.ru representative Igor Blinov says that not all expenses of travelers in the regions go through the terminals.

The study says that tourists spend the most in the Krasnodar region (16.3% of the total), Moscow (12.4%), St. Petersburg (8.7%), and the Moscow region (8.2%). But the most noticeable increase in tourist funds in the past summer season, according to SberIndex, was observed in the Murmansk region (by 45% year-on-year), Dagestan (by 44%), the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (by 38.8%), and the Sakhalin region (by 36%), Ingushetia (by 35.4%). The increase in spending indicates an increase in the flow and development of tourism offers, analysts note.

Although this year, like a year ago, most Russians spent their summer holidays within the country, in 2023 there is a recovery in demand for outbound destinations. According to OneTwoTrip, the share of international flights in total bookings in May-September increased by 40% year-on-year, to 15.2%. The most popular destinations among Russians are Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Thailand, China and post-Soviet countries. The increase in activity occurred while the average cost of a flight abroad decreased by 17%, to 18.6 thousand rubles. one way, according to OneTwoTrip.

Dmitry Gorin notes that international air travel now accounts for about 30% of passenger traffic. The restoration of demand for foreign destinations, according to the expert, creates competition for domestic ones, but rather limited. “We don’t yet expect an increase in the number of trips abroad at least to the level of 2019,” he says. Sergei Romashkin also does not overestimate competition with exit markets, but fears that rising prices will have a negative impact on domestic demand. “We saw the example of Turkey, when a sharp increase in the cost of travel led to the refusal of some Russians to travel to this country, the same may happen with Russia,” he notes. However, Mikhail Matovnikov, director of the Center for Financial Analytics, sees potential for further growth in domestic tourism through infrastructure development and rising wages in certain industries.

Alexandra Mertsalova