In the fall of 2021, most Russians are planning to spend their holidays in the country.

Representatives of the travel planning service OneTwoTrip told RT about this.

According to the organization, 91.7% of customers booked flights within Russia from September to November, while the rest bought tickets for foreign destinations.

Among Russian cities, the most popular in the velvet season are Sochi (with a booking share of 19.4%), Simferopol (15.4%) and Moscow (12.7%).

In addition, the rating of popular destinations includes Anapa (7.4%) and St. Petersburg (6.3%).

Such data was provided by RT by the travel and travel service Tutu.ru.

“The average check for a flight within Russia for the first half of autumn for already issued tickets is about 8 thousand rubles one way.

Compared to last year, the figure is still 7% lower, ”the press service of the company noted. 

During the velvet season, Russians tend to prefer three-star hotels, which account for half of all bookings.

Sergey Romashkin, general director of the Dolphin tour operator, spoke about this in an interview with RT. 

“About 15-20% of the total structure of purchased tours are four- and five-star hotels, the rest is budget hotels without stars.

Beach trips remain among the leaders in demand, since at the beginning of autumn there is still comfortable weather and you can fully swim at our seaside resorts, ”the expert noted.

Traditionally, in the fall, prices for tours are lower than in summer, which prompts some Russians to plan a vacation for a later period, said Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

According to him, in a number of directions a trip in the fall can cost 50% less than a similar tour in July-August.

“For example, to the Krasnodar Territory the cost of travel with the start date of the tour this month has already decreased by 20%, and in September the vouchers may become even more affordable.

At the same time, Russians are actively interested not only in beach destinations: there are reservations for sightseeing trips to Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg and other cities rich in attractions.

Moreover, river cruises have become popular this season, ”the source said. 

According to analysts, part of the high demand of citizens for travel in Russia in the autumn months is stimulated by 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.

To receive compensation, the trip must be paid with a MIR card, having previously registered it in the loyalty program on the website of the payment system.

The duration of the tour must be at least two nights.

A new stage of the program started on June 16.

According to its rules, until August 31, citizens can buy package tours and accommodation with the opportunity to travel to any region of the country from October 1 to December 24.

Meanwhile, river and sea cruises can be sent from September 1 until the end of navigation.

“According to various estimates, the cashback campaign helped to increase the sales of tour operators by 25-50%, depending on the directions.

This stimulation of domestic demand not only became a real measure, due to which the Russians were able to reduce the cost of recreation on popular routes, but also accelerated the recovery of the tourism industry.

In general, the industry has already returned to the values ​​of 2019 for a number of indicators, ”Artyom Deev, head of the analytical department at AMarkets, told RT. 

  • RIA News

  • © Artur Lebedev

According to OneTwoTrip, among foreign destinations in the fall months, Russians are primarily planning to visit Turkey (19.8% of bookings).

This is followed by Armenia (17%), Greece (7.5%), Montenegro (5.4%), Kyrgyzstan (5.2%), Moldova (4.6%) and Cyprus (3.9%). 

To date, several dozen countries have already announced the opening of borders and readiness to receive Russian tourists, according to ATOR data.

First of all, we are talking about the states of the Middle East, Southern Europe, Latin America and North Africa, noted Dmitry Gorin. 

“Due to the resumption of charter flights to Turkey this summer, a record demand was recorded for this direction.

Also, the Mediterranean resorts of Croatia and Greece receive a lot of tourists from Russia.

However, in late autumn, we expect a shift in the interest of travelers to countries with warm weather in winter, which are gradually opening up to foreign guests, ”the expert said. 

Recall that from August 9, Russia announced the resumption of air traffic with Bahrain, the Dominican Republic and Moldova, as well as the sea resorts of Egypt.

Flights to the Arab Republic will be carried out five times a week. 

“The restoration of outbound tourism in the near future will depend on the volume of charter traffic to the already discovered countries.

The increase in the number of flights will reduce the cost of the package tour, which will positively affect the demand.

Russians have missed foreign travel and are ready to travel the world, observing all precautions, ”concluded Gorin.