The Russian government has extended the tourist cashback program.
The corresponding decree on Thursday, October 1, was signed by the country's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
"The term for the provision of tourist services is extended until January 10, 2021," - said in a statement on the official website of the Cabinet.
The government added that Rosturizm will later announce the start and end dates for the sale of travel services with cashback.
At the same time, the conditions for the second stage of the program were significantly expanded.
“The minimum duration of a tour or hotel stay under the new program conditions has been reduced from four to two nights, the minimum cost of a ticket is no longer limited (previously - 25 thousand rubles).
The maximum refund will be 20% of the cost of the tour, but no more than 20 thousand rubles (previously 15 thousand rubles), ”the Cabinet of Ministers said.
To receive compensation, the tour still needs to be paid with a Mir bank card.
Cashback will be credited to it automatically within five days from the date of payment for the trip.
Recall that the first stage of the cashback program was in effect from August 21 to 28.
Citizens could receive partial compensation for the money spent in the amount of 5 to 15 thousand rubles for paying for trips around Russia lasting at least four nights and no less than 25 thousand rubles.
According to the Federal Tourism Agency, the service was used by about 70 thousand Russians, who purchased tours for 1.4 billion rubles.
In total, the government allocated 15 billion rubles for the implementation of the initiative.
According to experts, the actions of the authorities will accelerate the recovery of the tourism sector from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thus, travel companies will be able to compensate for the losses and keep the flow of travelers during a difficult period.
Mikhail Kogan, head of the analytical research department of the Higher School of Financial Management, spoke about this in a conversation with RT.
“Many market participants saw the positive impact of the program.
Thus, at the end of the summer season, the authorities of the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea have already recorded a record influx of tourists.
At the same time, the extension of the initiative until the end of the New Year holidays should expand the audience of those who are ready to travel around Russia.
The new conditions will reduce the risks for tourists when building vacation plans for a long period, ”Kogan explained.
Moreover, the extension of payments for holidays in Russia will have a positive effect on the long-term development of domestic tourism.
As noted by Dmitry Gorin, vice-president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, now the program will be able to participate and travel aggregators, which are just beginning to increase their customer base.
“In fact, we are talking about comprehensive measures of support from the state for all participants in the tourism market.
The program will significantly increase the occupancy of hotels and health resorts in Russian resorts, and due to the return of part of the funds, tourists will be able to travel with an unprecedented 20% discount.
For comparison, in other countries the cashback for tours does not exceed 10%, "the source told RT.
Full flight
According to experts, in the summer, Russian resorts were in high demand among citizens.
According to the tourist service Tutu.ru, in August, Russians most often ordered air tickets to Crimea, Sochi and Anapa.
Krasnodar, Kaliningrad and Mineralnye Vody also entered the top 10 popular flight destinations.
At the same time, the expansion of the cashback program should further spur the interest of Russians in traveling around the country, experts say.
“Our recent polls show that the majority of domestic tourists are not ready to spend more than 5 thousand rubles over the weekend.
Therefore, the abolition of the minimum price threshold for participation in the program, together with the reduction of travel days to one weekend, will significantly increase the number of those wishing to have a profitable vacation in Russia, "the press service of Tutu.ru told RT.
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© Vitaly Ankov
In this situation, 98% of Russian tourists planning a vacation this fall choose domestic destinations, although a year ago the figure did not exceed 69%.
In turn, the share of bookings abroad has decreased over the past 12 months from 31% to 2%.
The specialists of the Internet service Biletix told RT about this.
In addition to the introduction of quarantine restrictions and the closure of borders with a number of states, the decrease in the average check for air travel in Russia also influenced the change in demand.
"For flights within the country in October, the average price for a round-trip ticket is 6.3 thousand rubles, while a year ago the figure was 12.5% higher and stood at 7.2 thousand rubles," - noted in Biletix.
The experts interviewed do not exclude that the restoration of the tourist flow may become an additional incentive for the accelerated development of civil aviation.
According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, at the end of the summer, the monthly passenger traffic of Russian airports increased almost nine times compared to the end of spring.
In August, airlines carried almost 18 million people against 2 million in May 2020.
“The extension of the cashback program will increase the mobility of Russians, which will have a positive effect on passenger traffic within the country. When citizens know that they can get a refund of part of the money, then they will be ready to travel more comfortably. As a result, airlines, restaurants, hotels and other related industries will receive additional profit, ”concluded Dmitry Gorin.