Russia (bbabo.net), - The fifth stage of the tourist cashback, which started on January 18, stimulated the interest of tourists in traveling during the low season. The average ticket for hotel bookings increased by 7%, while tours decreased, according to participants in the tourism market.
This time, Russian tourists book hotels on average at a price of about 20,000 rubles for four nights, says a representative of the Ostrovok.ru service. In the spring of last year, for the same period, tourists paid 18.6 thousand rubles.
There is no consensus among representatives of the tourist market in assessing the cost of complex tours. TUI Russia notes that prices at the fifth stage of the cashback increased by the amount of inflation on comparable dates. The company "Alean" points to a slight decrease in the average bill. If in March and early April 2021 it was 48.6 thousand rubles, then in 2022 it will be 46 thousand rubles. However, this may be due to the overall lower price level during the "low" season. The third spring stage of the program in 2021 covered the period from March to mid-June. This year, the spring stage has been shifted to January and should end on April 12th. True, you can go on a trip until April 30 inclusive.
In any case, for cruises, such a seasonal shift turned out to be very significant. This year, the average bill is 47.5 thousand rubles, while in 2021 it amounted to 72.5 thousand rubles, according to data from the Vodohod cruise company. From June 15, the high season of cruises begins, last year they fell into the cashback program, the company explains. The decrease in the average check by 16% is also indicated in the aggregator company Cruise.online.
Under the terms of the program, 20% of the cost of the tour or accommodation is returned to the card for a tourist, a maximum of 20 thousand rubles. You need to pay for the trip online with a MIR card. You can go to any region. Tour or hotel reservation must be from two nights.
However, the motive in itself to save money through cashback is hardly a determining factor for tourists, says Sergei Romashkin, general director of the Dolphin tour operator. Rather, the program encourages those who already intended to go on a trip. Traveling in the low season for the sake of getting a discount can, first of all, pensioners, he says. Nevertheless, the subsidy works and will reduce the price of a tourist product for tourists. As a result, demand expands.
This year, market participants noted an increase in sales at times in the first days of the launch of the program. After the first wave, demand began to decline. At first, the demand for hotels was 50% higher than in the same period in 2021, Ostrovok.ru notes. In the fourth week, the difference was already 40%. Demand for tours in Russia with cashback is now 24% higher than regular sales, says Romashkin. Alean points out that at the start of the program, the volume of travel bookings with cashback exceeded the usual level by 45%, and now it has dropped to 15%. In TUI, this trend is explained by the purchases of pre-selected charter tours in the first days of the start of sales. Later, "non-charter" destinations intervened to process requests that take time.
Nevertheless, sales of travel with cashback are quite active. According to the head of Rostourism, Zarina Doguzova, tours and hotel accommodation worth 5 billion rubles have already been bought in the two weeks of the program. 1 billion rubles were returned to tourists.
The most expensive vacation is at Krasnaya Polyana in Sochi. Hotel rooms are booked at an average of 60,000 rubles per four days
5 billion rubles are provided for financing the program in 2022, while the autumn stage of the program is still to come. The money earmarked for the spring could run out faster than the sales deadline expires, Romashkin says. Cashback led to an expansion of the audience, the program became clearer. Now, in order to balance supply and demand, perhaps Rostourism will shorten the sales period, he suggests. It would be possible to set separate sales dates for the most popular destinations. For example, for the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea. These regions invariably lead in popularity among tourists.
According to market participants, Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, the Stavropol Territory, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, and Samara regions are also in demand.
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