On sound reflection – Newspaper Kommersant No. 229 (7430) dated 12/09/2022

Due to the reorientation of some Russians to holidays within the country, the load of sanatoriums this year turned out to be higher than before the pandemic. This made it possible for the owners of some objects to raise prices by 30-40%. But sanatoriums in regions where there are restrictions on air travel, on the contrary, had to reduce the cost of living.

At the end of 2022, the total load of Russian sanatoriums will exceed the pre-crisis 2019 figure by 3.6 percentage points (pp), Mikhail Danilov, medical director of the Association for Health Tourism and Corporate Health (AOT), told Kommersant. He did not give a specific occupancy rate. But at the end of 2019, AOT estimated the average load of health resorts at 49.7%, in 2021 – at 42.1%.

That is, this year the figure will exceed 50%.

Sergey Romashkin, the general director of the Dolphin tour operator, confirms that this year the demand for holidays in sanatoriums has grown more noticeably than interest in classic hotels. The dynamics compared to last year was 30% and 10% respectively, he adds.

But the situation in the segment is not uniform, says Mr. Danilov. This is confirmed by the data of the health resorts themselves. Thus, Marina Perova, a representative of the Stanko sanatorium, calls the year successful: the facility was occupied by 80%, an increase of 10 percentage points year on year. Yulia Shelepenkova, General Director of Parus Medical Resort & SPA, says that occupancy in her facility has reached 98% this year. The seasonality factor has gone, guests have appeared who have not previously rested in the country, there are more customers from nearby regions, she points out. Anna Ozerova, head of the sales department at the Uvildy resort, speaks of an increase in occupancy by 5 p.p. But the director of the Buzuluksky Bor sanatorium, Vadim Greshnov, notes a decrease in occupancy by 4.37 p.p. a year against the backdrop of rising accommodation costs. The commercial director of the Zapolyarye sanatorium, Lilia Trofimova, indicates that this year the facility was occupied by 80% against 82% last year.

Mikhail Danilov considers the reorientation of some travelers to domestic destinations, the “tourist cashback” campaign and the lifting of pandemic restrictions as factors for the growth in the occupancy of health resorts this year.

Demand for corporate programs, according to AOT, this year partially reduced. Among other difficulties, the general director of the Palmira Palace hotel, Vladimir Patrikeev, highlights the geopolitical situation, the restriction on flights to the Crimea. Against this background, regional health resorts this year focused on programs for the inhabitants of the peninsula. Ms. Trofimova considers the September cancellations amid the announcement of partial mobilization to be a negative factor.

But now demand has begun to grow again, says Mikhail Danilov. This year, early bookings are 10% higher than a year ago, adds Maxim Suchkov, General Director of the Peredelkino Center. Against this background, Mr. Danilov does not yet predict a decrease in the occupancy of health resorts in 2023, expecting that the figures will remain at this year’s level.

Olga Akimova, general director of the Mashuk Aqua-Therm resort, points out that geopolitical and economic risks still remain. Sergei Romashkin calls the exhaustion of pent-up demand that has affected the market this year another factor.

Mikhail Danilov assumes that the strong demand for holidays within the country will be associated, in particular, with the rise in prices for holidays abroad.

The cost of accommodation in Russian health resorts, according to expert forecasts, will grow at the inflation rate in 2023. Although, he notes, some health resorts claim a price increase of 30%. The general director of the Bakirovo sanatorium, Nail Shaikhutdinov, points out that this year the prices for the services of his facility have been raised three times and now the cost of accommodation is 30-40% higher than a year ago.

Rosa Springs Medical Spa Hotel Deputy General Director Ruslan Verdiev expects accommodation prices to rise by about 10% in 2023. But not all objects are ready to raise the cost. Nikolay Larionov, a representative of Kivach, says that the company will not index prices for accommodation next year.

Alexandra Mertsalova