On the night of March 17-18, the third stage of the tourist cashback program starts in Russia.

This was announced on Tuesday, March 16, by the head of Rostourism Zarina Doguzova.

According to her, the terms of the initiative will remain the same.

So, for traveling around the country, Russians will be refunded 20% of the tour cost, but not more than 20 thousand rubles.

“The tour will be available from the start of the program until June 15th.

It will also be possible to go on a trip from the start of the program until June 30, "Doguzova noted.

To receive compensation, the trip must be paid with a Mir bank card.

In this case, the duration of the tour or hotel stay must be at least two nights.

Cashback will be credited to the card automatically within five days from the date of payment for the trip.

In total, the government will allocate 2 billion rubles for the implementation of the new stage of the program.

The corresponding order was previously signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

According to him, the allocated funds will reduce the cost of about 300 thousand tourist services for citizens and will give an opportunity to actively develop domestic tourism.

The first stage of the cashback program for trips across Russia was launched at the end of summer 2020.

From 21 to 28 August, Russians could receive compensation in the amount of 20% of the funds spent (but not more than 15 thousand rubles) for paying for trips around the country lasting at least four nights and no less than 25 thousand rubles.

In the fall, the authorities launched the second phase of the program.

It was possible to purchase tours with cashback from October 15 to December 5, and go on a trip until January 10, 2021.

At the same time, the terms of the initiative were significantly expanded.

So, the duration of the trip had to be at least two nights, and the minimum cost of the ticket was no longer limited.

In turn, the maximum return increased to 20 thousand rubles.

In addition, along with hotels and tour operators, aggregator services were able to participate in the program.

“Russians most actively bought tours with cashback during the New Year holidays.

Then the average refund was 3.8 thousand rubles, and the duration of the trip was four days, "said Alexei Teplov, marketing director of the OneTwoTrip travel planning service, to RT.

In just two stages of the tourist cashback program, Russians purchased tours for 6.5 billion rubles.

At the same time, the total amount of funds returned was 1.2 billion rubles.

“The third stage of the program will be longer: the sales window will affect the period of spring school holidays, May holidays and the beginning of the summer season.

Already, tourists are actively booking tours to Russian destinations.

Traditionally, the most popular of them are Krasnodar Territory, Krasnaya Polyana, Crimea, Kazan, Kaliningrad Region, as well as routes in the North of Russia, "said Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), in an interview with RT.

  • Vladivostok

  • © REUTERS / Yuri Maltsev

According to the Federal Tourism Agency, in 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic and the introduction of quarantine measures, the turnover of the Russian tourism industry decreased by 60% compared to 2019.

However, with the weakening of restrictions and support of the industry from the state, Russia was able to enter the top three among the G20 countries in terms of the rate of recovery of the tourism sector.

“It was due to the cashback program in the low season that it was possible to maintain a revival in the domestic tourism market.

Interest in travel really managed to spur.

So the decision to extend the cashback program again, which helps people save money, looks logical, "Elena Chubina, deputy head of the Tutu Adventure platform, emphasized in a conversation with RT.

According to the forecast of Rostourism, in 2021 Russian domestic tourism may grow by 10-15% compared to 2020.

At the same time, the full return of the industry to pre-crisis levels may take about two years, says Mikhail Kogan, head of the analytical research department of the Higher School of Financial Management.

Against this background, the cashback program is designed to accelerate the recovery of the industry, the expert said.

“In addition, the positive effects of the cashback program include an increase in the popularity of the national payment system Mir, as well as the motivation of people to spend money within the country, saving on travel abroad,” Kogan added.

In addition to tourism, the program can support a number of related industries, says Dmitry Gorin.

We are talking, for example, about the catering sector and the segment of entertainment services.

“By increasing the tourist flow, this business will be able to quickly cover last year's losses, which were associated with the pandemic.

In addition, the program has a positive impact on the dynamics of air travel, rail transport and water transport, ”Gorin emphasized.