In the early summer of 2021, Russian demand for domestic travel grew by 25% compared to the same period in 2020.

Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), spoke about this in an interview with RT.

“The interest of citizens in Russian destinations is almost equal to the indicators of the pre-pandemic 2019.

I note that in 2020, as a result of the consequences of the coronavirus, two months of the demanded summer season were lost.

This state of affairs negatively affected the annual values, ”the specialist noted.

According to ATOR estimates, in 2020, against the background of the temporary introduction of quarantine restrictions and the transition of Russians to self-isolation, the domestic tourist flow in the country fell by almost 40%.

However, by the end of 2021, the indicator can not only fully recover from the consequences of the pandemic, but even exceed pre-crisis values, the association believes.

As experts of the travel and travel service Tutu.ru told RT, most flights from June 1 to August 31 are planned in the direction of Moscow - Simferopol (12.8% of the total).

Air routes from the capital to Sochi (7%), Anapa (4.3%), Kaliningrad (2.2%), Gelendzhik (2%) and Krasnodar (1.7%) are also in high demand.

In addition, destinations from St. Petersburg to Simferopol (2.4%) and Sochi (2.1%) are popular.

“At the same time, the cost of flights to popular destinations has significantly decreased over the past two years.

Now the average price of an air ticket is 14.5 thousand rubles round trip, while in the summer of the pre-crisis 2019 the figure was at the level of 16.1 thousand rubles, ”added Tutu.ru.

Experts interviewed by RT associate the high interest of citizens in traveling around Russia to the still partially closed borders, as well as the operation of the tourist cashback program.

Under the terms of the initiative, 20% of the tour cost is returned to Russians for traveling around the country, but not more than 20 thousand rubles.

Recall that in March 2021, the third stage of the program started.

Initially, it was possible to buy a discount ticket until June 15, and to go on a trip - until June 30.

Meanwhile, on April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government to extend the initiative until the end of the year.

“We see that due to the action of the initiative, it is much more profitable for travelers to use domestic tourist destinations, which is why domestic tourism is growing so much.

According to the latest estimates, more than 90% of hotels in the most popular cities of the country have already been booked, "Denis Badyanov, an analyst at Alfa Capital, said in a conversation with RT.

Change of preferences

It is noteworthy that in the current summer season in Russia there is a trend towards a secluded and safe vacation.

Citizens tend to travel more frequently within their region.

Experts from the travel planning service OneTwoTrip told RT about this.

“According to a recent study, 58% of Russians surveyed said they were willing to explore their home region during the long weekend timed to Russia Day,” said Alexei Teplov, Marketing Director.

According to him, the desire to protect oneself during a pandemic also affects the choice of places of residence of citizens.

Thus, Russians increasingly prefer hotels with the proper level of disinfection and distancing of guests.

“If in the first five months of 2019, 27.8% of bookings were for accommodation without stars (apartments or guest houses), then for the same period in 2021 this figure dropped to 20.5%.

At the same time, the popularity of the three- and four-star categories has grown.

Thus, the share of reservations for three-star hotels increased from 25.2% to 30.8%, and for four-star hotels - from 31.5% to 34%, "Teplov added.

At the moment, Russians more often prefer to book higher-level hotels and not save on vacation, since in 2020 many were forced to postpone or postpone their vacation due to quarantine restrictions.

This opinion was expressed in a conversation with RT by Pavel Sigal, the first vice president of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized businesses "Support of Russia".

“A long regime of self-isolation, a sudden change of plans for the summer, the inability to realize their goals and go to rest - all this has become an incentive for a number of citizens to have a good and relatively expensive vacation this year.

Thus, people are trying to realize a vacation in two years.

In addition, the remaining restrictions related to the closure of borders are affecting, ”the specialist explained.

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According to ATOR, at the moment, out of 43 countries receiving tourists, no more than a quarter are available to Russians.

According to Tutu.ru, most often in the summer months, travelers book flights from Moscow to Chisinau (9.4% of the total number of passengers), Yerevan (7.1%) and Bishkek (5.3%).

At the same time, before the start of the pandemic, Russians were actively buying air tickets to Europe - Italy, Spain and Germany, OneTwoTrip experts noted.

In general, against the background of continuing restrictions in the world, the demand of Russians for foreign holidays is now almost 80% lower than in 2019, Maya Lomidze admits.

According to her, most of all the citizens of the Russian Federation are waiting for the opening of the most massive destinations - Turkey and Egypt.

“Among foreign destinations, the UAE, Cuba and the Maldives are still in the lead, although the demand for them is not comparable to domestic resorts.

At the same time, if direct flights with Turkey are launched, then the flow of tourists abroad could increase dramatically.

However, the opening of massive foreign destinations can play into the hands of those who want to relax inside the country: competition in the tourism market will increase, which should lead to a decrease in the average price on popular Russian routes, ”the expert concluded.