Tourist spending on holidays in August increased by 15-33% yoy

Despite the weakening of the ruble (see the text on the same page), the growth of the average check when booking tours in domestic resort destinations was more pronounced than in foreign ones. Holidays in Russia and Abkhazia in August rose in price by an average of 29-33% in annual terms, and in Turkey and Egypt – within 17%. The dynamics is associated with the expansion of the volume and decrease in the cost of foreign transportation, while tour operators call prices for flights within the country high.

The average check when booking a tour to popular resort destinations in August increased by 15-33% year-on-year, according to Travelata.ru. The most pronounced was the dynamics on the Black Sea coast. In Abkhazia, the average check for the year increased by 33.3%, to 114.5 thousand rubles, in Russian resorts – by 29.6%, to 98.3 thousand rubles. The dynamics did not significantly affect the popularity of destinations. According to Travelata.ru, Russia and Abkhazia together occupy 23% in the structure of bookings, which corresponds to the level of 2022. According to Sletat.ru, the average bill to Russian resorts increased by 15% over the year, to 97.5 thousand rubles, to Abkhazia by 20%, to 118.9 thousand rubles. In August, destinations accounted for 32.5% and 7.4% of demand, respectively.

Prices for hotels within the country rose not so significantly. According to Ostrovok.ru, since August 2022, the average cost of a booked night has increased by 12%, to 4.8 thousand rubles. Sergey Romashkin, general director of the Dolphin tour operator, also says that the cost of accommodation in hotels on the Black Sea coast has increased by an average of 10-15% over the year. “At the beginning of the year, hotels set rates with a markup of 20% amid high demand, then sales slowed down, and the figure fell,” he notes. In Crimea, according to Mr. Romashkin, the cost of placement has decreased by about 15% over the year due to limited demand.

According to Sergei Romashkin, the average occupancy of hotels in Crimea in August will be at the level of 60%, which is approximately comparable to last year. In Sochi, he expects a load of 80-85%, which is less than the good indicator for August of 95%. According to Mr. Romashkin, the demand for Sochi is constrained by the rather high cost of air tickets. In the issue of Aviasales, the most affordable flight on the route Moscow-Sochi-Moscow for August 7-13 on Friday cost 20.3 thousand rubles. According to Rosstat, the cost of a flight in the economy class cabin for the year to June 2023 increased by 29%, to 7.43 thousand rubles, per 1 thousand km of travel.

As Sergei Romashkin notes, in Gelendzhik and Anapa, where air traffic is limited, hotel occupancy is close to 100%, as tourists more often choose locations that they reach by car.

The growth of the average check on classic foreign beach destinations in August was less pronounced. In Turkey, according to Travelata.ru, the figure for the year increased by 16.6%, to 216.7 thousand rubles. Fun & Sun says that the average cost of a tour to Turkey in foreign currency has remained at last year’s level – about $2,000 for two. The share of Turkey for the year in total sales for August, according to Travelata.ru, decreased from 62% to 51%, according to Sletat.ru – from 44.4% to 34.4%.

The average check when booking a tour in the UAE for August for the year increased by 27.5%, to 186.2 thousand rubles, to Egypt – by 15.3%, to 186.7 thousand rubles, calculated in Travelata.ru . Analysts estimate the share of these areas at 9% and 10% against 6% and 7% a year earlier, respectively. Sletat.ru recorded an increase in the average check in the UAE by 21%, to 201 thousand rubles, and in Egypt – by 8%, to 186.6 thousand rubles, confirming the growth in the share of destinations in the sales structure for August.

Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Dmitry Gorin calculated that, despite the weakening of the ruble by 60-70% per year, the average check on foreign destinations increased by 20-40%. According to him, tourists themselves could choose shorter tours, change hotels or locations, and the reduction in the cost of transportation abroad due to an increase in supply also affects. A year ago, at a rate of about 60 rubles. per dollar, the average check when buying tickets to Turkey was 50-60 thousand rubles, now at a rate of about 100 rubles – 30 thousand rubles, says Mr. Gorin. According to him, this partly affects the domestic resorts, preventing prices from overheating.

Alexandra Mertsalova