Skiers book tours – Kommersant FM
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Interest in ski holidays has grown in Russia. Operators report that their clients are actively booking tours to winter resorts. Demand increased by 10% compared to 2022. This data was provided to Kommersant FM by the National Union of the Hospitality Industry. Sochi’s Krasnaya Polyana is still the most popular. As market participants note, this year interest in the Sheregesh resort is also expected and the tourist flow to the “Aina Valley” on Sakhalin may double. Russians do not refuse European slopes either. How much will a ski holiday within the country and in the Italian Alps cost? Elena Ivanova will tell you.
Currently, about 400 ski resorts welcome tourists in Russia. In each region, the season starts at different times. In mid-November, complexes open in the Kemerovo and Murmansk regions. In December, they were joined by bases in the Urals and Elbrus region, as well as in the Krasnoyarsk and Altai territories.
At the same time, the early booking service is popular among Russians. As noted by the industry, the first requests were received back in July. If you take a tour in advance, the benefit can be up to 30%, according to the data on the website of the Rosa Khutor resort. This year, the Sochi region accounts for more than 60% of sales, says Sergei Romashkin, vice-president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia:
“The long-term leader is Krasnaya Polyana – 60-65% of the total tourist flow that is currently on sale. Sheregesh will probably come in second place – 20%. The remaining resorts – about 10% of all trips – are Arkhyz, Dombay and Elbrus. There are also regional specifics here; if people come to Krasnaya Polyana from all over the country, then to Sheregesh it is still more likely that skiers from Siberia come. If this is Arkhyz, then this is Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia. There are significantly fewer tourists from Moscow there than in Krasnaya Polyana.”
As market players note, prices have remained almost unchanged year-on-year. For example, if you book a hotel now, then in December a week-long trip for two to Sochi will cost from 50 thousand rubles. up to 1 million rubles depending on the star rating of the complex.
But the cost of ski services is likely to increase. This is due to the rise in price of equipment. In addition, during the peak season, airfare prices increase annually, which will also affect the final price of the trip.
True, the options are becoming fewer. Due to climate change, some resorts are either opening the slopes later or closing permanently. In September, for example, all the ski lifts in France’s La Sambuie were dismantled—where global warming had shortened the season to just a few weeks. The same fate may await Russian ski resorts in the future, says ski holiday expert Georgy Dubenetsky:
“If we talk about the two closed French resorts, they are tiny – one or two ski lifts. That is, it is more reminiscent of our club slopes, for example, in the Moscow region. They are located low. This also threatens our low-lying resorts, that is, primarily Krasnaya Polyana. As last year showed, when the season practically began, normal skating only began in February, and ended already in early March.”
The demand for ski holidays abroad among Russians has increased several times, despite a significant change in the euro exchange rate, which in September 2022 cost 60 rubles. Fans of ski holidays in the Alps are not stopped by difficulties with flights, says Maxim Pristavko, deputy chairman of the board of directors of the Jet Travel holding:
“Not all airlines have published flight programs. And tourists are forced to fly, as they say, at random. But demand has grown well. First of all, these are Italy, Switzerland, and France. Prices traditionally change by about 1-1.5% per season. The cost of air travel varies from 70 thousand rubles. up to 100 thousand rubles. per person.”
The cost of a week-long tour for two in a European ski resort starts from 150 thousand rubles. — this is the minimum amount for flights and accommodation. You will have to pay separately for a transfer from the airport to the slope – prices start from 30 thousand rubles. roundtrip. A ski pass for a week will cost a similar amount – approximately 30-35 thousand rubles.
Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.
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