In particular, Marina Makarkova, director of the public relations department of the tour operator Coral Travel, reported on the growth of Turkey's popularity on 50%. Turkey was also named as the leading destination by a large margin by the companies Intourist, Tez Tour and Anex Tour.
Experts noted that Russians' interest in vacations during the May holidays has increased overall. The Intourist company reported that trips are booked for 69% more often than a year earlier. At the same time, demand for domestic travel has grown by 54%, and for foreign travel by 70%. According to Larisa Akhanova, PR director of the tour operator Tez Tour, May holidays are booked for 15-20% better this year than a year ago.
Russians choose foreign beaches
According to experts, foreign beach destinations are the most popular among Russians contacting tour operators for the upcoming holidays. In addition to Turkey, the UAE, Tunisia, Thailand and Greece are very popular. At the same time, according to M. Makarkova, in her company the sales volume of tours to Tunisia has more than doubled, despite the increase in the average price by 7-8%. The companies Tez Tour and Biblio-Globus reported high demand for Cyprus.
Among excursion destinations for the May holidays, the leaders are the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain. The Intourist company also noted the popularity of tours to the Baltics, and Biblio-Globus named Belarus as the most popular excursion destination.
Holidays in Russia during the May holidays are less popular among tour operators. Among the most popular domestic destinations, the Intourist company named Sochi, Crimea, St. Petersburg, Moscow, the Golden Ring and the Caucasian Mineral Waters. The press service of the Biblio-Globus tour operator also reported the popularity of Gelendzhik, Anapa and Crimea.
Is there a demand for Egypt?
Despite the resumption of regular flights from Moscow to Cairo on April 11, none of the major tour operators surveyed by the Interfax-Tourism portal announced the resumption of sales to Egypt. The only exception was Tez Tour, which has been offering tours to Egyptian resorts with transfers from Cairo airport since mid-March.
According to L. Akhanova, several dozen clients plan to take advantage of the May holiday offer. "Demand has exceeded our expectations. We receive the largest number of bookings from Moscow and St. Petersburg, and hotels in Hurghada are popular. I would like to remind you that before the closure, Egypt was the leader in the May Day tourist race," she noted.
Prices have risen, but only slightly.
Coral Travel and Intourist noted that the average cost of a tour package increased by 10% compared to last year. “At the same time, many destinations kept their prices at the 2017 level,” the Intourist press service reported.
The Biblio-Globus company reported that the average bill for a 7-night tour with accommodation in a 3* hotel and breakfast per person will be 21.6 thousand rubles in Russia, 30.7 thousand in Cyprus, 27.5 thousand in Turkey, and 34.9 thousand in Greece.
Tez Tour reported that prices for May tours increased by an average of 3-5%, including due to the difference in exchange rates. "May trips are a wide range of offers in terms of prices and preferences, both budget options and the premium segment are in demand," L. Akhanova noted.
This year, the Russian holiday weekend will begin on Sunday, April 29, and will last until Wednesday, May 2 inclusive. Thus, the first working week of May will be two-day. A week later, Russians will have a day off on May 9, which this year falls on Wednesday. The holiday day off will "divide" the working week into two parts - May 7 and 8 (Monday and Tuesday) and May 10 and 11 (Thursday and Friday).
As previously reported, in 2017, demand for foreign travel among Russians increased by a quarter.
Source: tourism.interfax.ru
