International women’s ruble – Newspaper Kommersant No. 36 (7481) dated 03/02/2023

The increase in the cost of air travel contributed to the growth of the average check when booking a tour abroad with the capture on March 8 by more than 60% for the year. But demand is recovering due to the expansion of flight opportunities and the availability of popular tour operators in Egypt and Thailand.

The average check when booking tours abroad for a week from March 8 increased by 61.4% over the year, to 159.9 thousand rubles, according to Travelata.ru. According to Sletat.ru, the average check for popular foreign destinations increased by 40–70% over the year, depending on the country. The most pronounced dynamics was in the case of Sri Lanka, which showed an increase in the average check by 68%, up to 210.1 thousand rubles. Holidays in Egypt rose in price by 65%, to 146.2 thousand rubles, in Turkey – by 49%, to 96.4 thousand rubles, in the UAE – by 44%, to 195.6 thousand rubles. The minimum dynamics is noted in the case of the Maldives, where the average check for booking increased by 21%, to 483 thousand rubles.

According to Sletat.ru, the number of booked tours, including March 8, has grown by 56% over the year compared to the same period last year. The dynamics may be related not only to market trends, since a year earlier in February-March, consumer behavior was strongly corrected due to the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Dmitry Gorin notes that the outbound tourist flow is generally recovering due to the gradual expansion of flight programs and an increase in the number of available outbound destinations, although the figures are 30-40% behind the level of 2019. “But in the case of Thailand, the number of trips is already in line with the pre-crisis, in the case of Turkey, it is moving towards it,” he points out. According to Mr. Gorin, the week since March 8 is quite an active season for the tourist industry: “Travel is often seen as a gift, and their main audience is women.”

According to Travelata.ru, foreign destinations in general formed 80% of sales of tours with the capture on March 8. The most demanded country, according to analysts, was Egypt, which occupied 25% of sales. Thailand (18%), UAE (16%) and Turkey (11%) follow. Dmitry Gorin connects the general rise in prices on outbound routes mainly with the rise in the cost of transportation.

According to Ya. Travel estimates, the average cost of a flight from Russia to neighboring countries and back increased by 22.5% over the year, to 20.6 thousand rubles, long-distance – by 126%, to 38.5 thousand rubles . Ostrovok.ru simultaneously noticed that the average cost of a redeemed night in most popular outbound destinations for the week since March 8 has decreased over the year. The exceptions were Kazakhstan, where average prices increased by 64%, to 5.9 thousand rubles, Turkey – by 3%, to 6.3 thousand rubles. and Spain – by 7%, up to 9.6 thousand rubles. per night. According to OneTwoTrip, independent tourists chose Yerevan, Istanbul, Dubai, Baku and Bishkek among foreign destinations for flights for holidays.

Tours in Russia, according to Travelata.ru, this year form 18% of sales of organized travel with the capture of March 8. Last year, the figure was many times higher – 73%, but then the figures were largely due to the large volume of rebookings and the difficulties that arose with the organization of international flights. The situation with the flight program is now more stable, it gives travelers a choice, says Oleg Kozyrev, Marketing Director of Travelata.ru. The average check for organized tours in Russia increased by 11.9% over the year, to 43.8 thousand rubles. And the average cost of a booked night, according to Ostrovok.ru, decreased by 8%, to 4.5 thousand rubles.

Alexandra Mertsalova