Until the end of the year: Rosturizm called the timing of the restoration of domestic tourism

Domestic tourism will return to pre-crisis values ​​by the end of 2021.

This was announced on Friday, July 30, in the Federal Tourism Agency.

As the head of the department Zarina Doguzova noted, the indicators are growing at an outstripping pace: it was previously predicted that this year the industry will reach only 80% of the level of 2019. 

“This is a very good dynamics of the industry recovery, higher than in most countries.

We are working hard to maintain the momentum.

We hope that domestic tourism will fully recover by the end of this year, ”Doguzova said.

According to the Federal Tourism Agency, in the first half of 2021, 24.6 million people rested in the country, which is 85% more than the same period last year and only 5% less than the dock 2019.

As added in the department, these statistics included tourists who booked a hotel room for at least one night.

At the same time, according to regional estimates, almost 25 million more Russians traveled around the country without stopping at hotels.

In total, about 49 million people traveled across Russia in the first half of 2021. 

The currently observed high demand for tours to Russian resorts is largely due to the relatively milder than in other states restrictive measures to combat COVID-19.

This opinion was expressed in a conversation with RT by the vice-president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Alexander Osaulenko.

According to him, many regions popular among Russians now have all the opportunities for a good rest. 

“The tourism industry was able to quickly adjust to the new realities, which made the guests' stay calm and safe.

The heads of the regions did not make rash decisions and did not close key places of recreation and leisure, as they did in other countries.

Against this background, the Russian tourist market was not only able to quickly recover from the consequences of the pandemic, but also to attract new guests, ”the expert emphasized. 

According to the Federal Tourism Agency, Moscow is the leader among the regions in terms of the number of domestic tourists.

So, the share of the capital of the capital in the total number of guests accommodated in the first half of 2021 was 18%, although in 2019 the figure did not exceed 13%.

Also, the top ten in terms of growth rates included the Rostov Region, Altai Territory, Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria, Sevastopol and Sakhalin. 

“As for the Russian Black Sea coast, according to the current dynamics, we see that the results of this year are likely to exceed the results of the dock 2019 by 10-15%,” Doguzova added. 

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The positive dynamics in the industry is partly due to the operation of the tourist cashback program, according to analysts interviewed by RT.

Recall that, within the framework of the initiative, until the end of 2021, citizens can return up to 20% of the cost of the tour for traveling around the country, but not more than 20 thousand rubles.

To receive compensation, the voucher must be paid with a MIR card, and the duration of the trip must be at least two nights. 

In total, since the start of the initiative, more than 2 million people have used it, who have purchased vouchers worth about 35.5 billion rubles, according to statistics from the Federal Tourism Agency.

Currently, the next stage of the program is underway, under which Russians can buy tours with a discount on travel in the autumn period - from October 1 to December 24.

“Cashback of 20% is important for many travelers when deciding whether to spend their holidays in the country. Moreover, some Russians have retained a certain deferred demand since last year due to the postponement of travel by many vacationers. Now they are fulfilling these needs mainly at domestic resorts, "said Mark Goikhman, chief analyst at TeleTrade Group, in an interview with RT. 

It is curious that against the background of the increased interest of citizens in Russian resorts, prices for air tickets throughout the country remain lower than before the pandemic.

As representatives of the travel and travel service Tutu.ru told RT, the average check for a flight across Russia in August is 9.1 thousand rubles one way per person, which is 13.3% more than in the same period last year.

Most of the tickets for the last month of summer are booked by Russians in Simferopol, Moscow, Sochi, Anapa and St. Petersburg. 

If we talk about travel in the autumn, then most often citizens buy tickets to the capital (20% of the total number of bookings), Sochi (14.7%), St. Petersburg (9.7%) and Simferopol (8.4%) ...

Such data was provided to RT by OneTwoTrip travel planning service specialists. 

“Traditionally, in the autumn period the prices for tours are lower than in the summer season. But even now the cost of tours in Russia is more than acceptable and relatively less than it was in April and May of this year, when, for example, Turkey was closed. The gradual opening of borders is forcing the domestic market to respond quickly and adjust pricing to current realities, ”concluded Alexander Osaulenko.