Russian tourists are thinking about the river

A 40% increase in demand from Russian tourists for cruises within the country may lead to the restoration of this market in the coming year to the volumes that were before the crisis. This can happen even in the absence of foreign tourists, who previously accounted for more than a third of demand. Following the growing popularity of this type of recreation, the cost of water travel may increase by 10-15%, experts warn.

Sales of cruises for the upcoming season as part of early booking grew by 40% year-on-year, according to Cruise. Online”. Ilya Sukhovolsky, Deputy General Director for Development of Vodokhod (operator of water tours), notes an increase in sales of river cruises this year by 20%. Infoflot General Director Andrey Mikhailovsky says that sales rates for the coming season are 25-30% higher than last year.

Sergey Romashkin, general director of the Dolphin tour operator, noticed a 90% increase in demand for cruises following the results of the early booking campaign in November-December. Similar dynamics persist in January, he says. This is a more noticeable growth than in the tourism market as a whole, where sales increased by 25-30%, the expert adds.

In “Cruise. Online” expect that this year the total flow of cruise participants in Russia will exceed the pre-crisis 2019. Ilya Sukhovolsky also expects the industry to approach pre-pandemic levels this year. He cites 2018 as an example, when 130 thousand people went on Vodochod cruises, of which 36% were foreigners. In 2022, the flow amounted to 120.2 thousand people – these are mainly Russians. Mr. Mikhailovsky points out that if in 2019 300-350 thousand Russians went on cruises around the country, this year the flow may increase to 550-600 thousand.

Andrey Mikhailovsky considers an increase in the volume of supply to be an important factor in sales growth, pointing out that over the past three years 15 ships have entered the domestic market, which previously worked only with foreign guests. In addition, the navigation period has been extended. “Previously, ships mostly went to the backwater at the end of September due to low demand, and last year the last trip was made on November 18,” the expert explains. Mr. Mikhailovsky draws attention to the growth in the number of travel agents who have added cruises around the country to their range.

Sergey Romashkin believes that about 20% of cruise companies’ clients are tourists who have previously traveled on similar trips abroad. The expert calls the lack of ideas currently observed in the tourism segment as a whole the second point of growth: “Having lost the opportunity to travel abroad, tourists are actively trying new formats of recreation.” In favor of this theory, according to Mr. Romashkin, speak the rejuvenation of the audience and the increase in the number of children on flights. Cruise vacations involve an all-inclusive format, which is close to Russian tourists, he adds.

The average check for booking a cruise for the upcoming summer, according to Cruise. Online”, now amounts to 100 thousand rubles. For the year, the growth was 29%. But analysts suggest that the resulting growth in supply within the country will be up to 15% due to inflation and higher prices for petroleum products. The current dynamics is largely due to the booking of more expensive offers, in particular cruises from Sochi to Turkey.

Mr. Mikhailovskaya points out that the cost of a cruise day now starts from 5-5.5 thousand rubles, the figure has grown by 10-15% over the year. In Vodokhod, the annual increase is estimated at 6%.

The volume of foreign cruise offers for mass Russian travelers is limited. In addition to trips to Turkey, according to Andrei Mikhailovsky, cruises in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea are in demand. Vodokhod notes that interest in foreign cruises to visa-free countries remains at a high level.

Sergey Romashkin calls the routes along the Volga and the Russian North the best-selling cruise destinations within the country. Vodokhod says that the most popular cruises are from Moscow to St. Petersburg and back, to Valaam from St. Petersburg, from Moscow to Tver, Myshkin, Rybinsk and Uglich. Also in the top are cruises along the Golden Ring and to Tatarstan.

Alexandra Mertsalova