Despite the challenging situation in a number of outbound destinations, Russian tourists are not ready to give up foreign travel in favor of domestic resorts. Meanwhile, the overall number of people wanting to vacation in Crimea and the Krasnodar Krai is growing year-on-year. per year.
As reported to the TRN portal in the press service of the tour operator "Alean", Demand for Black Sea resorts is currently at the level it should be two months before the end of the early booking promotion – sales are very active.
At the same time, according to the company's experts, the coronavirus situation is not affecting demand for domestic destinations, at least for now. "And let's hope that the situation will resolve soon. Assuming that the pandemic could increase demand for Russian resorts is wrong, since in any case, if the epidemic begins to spread, tourists simply won't go anywhere," Aleana emphasized.
Sergey Romashkin, General Director of the tour operator "Dolphin" He also reported that the coronavirus situation hadn't affected sales in any way. "In my opinion, those tourists who were planning a vacation in Europe have now taken a break and aren't buying either Europe or Russia. In any case, the tourists we know and speak with aren't 'defectors' from Italy and other countries. These are tourists who had originally planned to vacation in Russia. There are no replacements here. I think those tourists who were planning to go to Europe will now wait a month or two until the epidemic subsides. And then they'll go where they had planned," he said.
However, Sergei Romashkin suggested that if the situation develops negatively, Russian travelers might reconsider their views on summer vacations, but in any case, this is not happening yet.
The expert also added that domestic resorts are ready to accommodate additional tourists should there be an influx of guests: "The potential of our resorts certainly exceeds current occupancy levels, and even in summer, there are always vacancies. These may not be the most starred or popular hotels: they sell out first. But nevertheless, accommodation will be available in the summer even if demand increases."
In turn, as emphasized Executive Director of the tour operator Intourist Sergey Tolchin, outbound travel is currently experiencing a slowdown in sales, which is due, among other things, to the end of the latest stage of the early booking promotion, significant exchange rate volatility, and widespread media coverage of the spread of the coronavirus.
Regarding domestic destinations, the company has reported growth in this segment in 2020. However, the expert also doesn't attribute the positive sales dynamics to the coronavirus. "Sales on domestic routes are exceeding planned figures. This trend has been observed in domestic destinations in the organized tourism sector for several years in a row. According to our statistics, demand for Sochi and Crimea is showing positive dynamics compared to the same period last year. Yes, it's safe to say that demand is influenced by the general information environment. However, the growth in sales on this route is more likely a natural result of the efforts being undertaken in the industry. This includes the expansion of transport infrastructure, the availability of regional air travel to popular resorts in the Russian south, and the flexible policies of domestic hoteliers," explained Sergey Tolchin, noting that prices at Russian resorts this year remained at 2019 levels.
"In recent years, resort infrastructure has undergone significant changes: new facilities are being built, and existing ones are being renovated. Overall, it can be said that if demand increases, the infrastructure can accommodate more guests. Sufficient traffic to the airports of Adler and Simferopol, along with the opening of a new modern terminal, can ensure uninterrupted tourist transportation to the resorts," concluded Sergei Tolchin.
Source: trn-news.ru