As part of the children's cashback program, Russians bought more than 350 thousand vouchers for a total of 9 billion rubles.

This was announced on Monday, August 9, by the head of Rostourism Zarina Doguzova. 

“Taking into account the fact that there are still several shifts ahead, the dynamics of purchases is still quite high, and on average, about 3 thousand vouchers per day are bought under the program,” Doguzova said.

According to her, due to the action of the initiative, the Russians were able to return about 4 billion rubles for the tours they had already bought.

Meanwhile, the children's cashback program started in Russia on May 25.

Under the terms of the initiative, parents can buy a ticket to children's camps for summer shifts and return 50% of the amount spent, but not more than 20 thousand rubles. 

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

Cashback will be credited to the card automatically within five days after purchase.

“There are no restrictions on the number of trips per family - large families can send all children, and receive a refund from each purchased voucher.

For convenience, all vouchers can be paid with one card, since the number of transactions is not limited, ”added Doguzova. 

You can buy a tour to the camp with a discount until August 31.

You can send a child to a summer camp until the end of summer with a return date until September 15.

  • AGN "Moscow"

  • © Sergey Kiselev

Note that the proposal to return half the cost of the voucher when children travel to a summer camp was first voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his message to the Federal Assembly on April 21.

As the head of state emphasized, today it is necessary to pay special attention to the health of children and make their rest as affordable as possible.

Initially, the authorities allocated 5 billion rubles for the implementation of the children's tourist cashback program.

In June, on behalf of Prime Minister Mikhalil Mishustin, an additional 4.5 billion rubles were allocated to finance the initiative. 

Moreover, on behalf of the President of Russia, the Cabinet of Ministers has developed a mechanism for paying compensation to those parents who have purchased vouchers to summer camps before the start of the initiative.

Such citizens were able to issue a refund from June 15 to October 20.  

“Children's recreation in health camps is essential for recuperating students during the holidays.

In addition to fresh air and healthy eating, school students learn socialization skills, learn to work in a group and communicate with peers.

Also, in many camps there are educational programs, which generally contributes to the development of children, "said Pavel Sigal, first vice president of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized businesses" Support of Russia, "to RT.

As noted in Rosturizm, if the Russians bought a ticket and received a cashback, and then changed their minds to send the child to the camp, then the refund will occur in the same way as with the usual payment for purchases on the Internet.

In this case, the cashback will be automatically debited from the buyer's card in full.

Family budget support

Today, more than 15 million schoolchildren under the age of 17 live in Russia, and over the next ten years their number will increase to 22 million.

Against this background, the demand for children's recreation will grow rapidly, Elena Ryzhenkova, general director of booking tickets to summer camps incamp.ru, said in a conversation with RT.

“For the first time in ten years, we have observed overbooking when the occupancy rate of camps in accordance with the Rospotrebnazdor standards is 75%.

Even in comparison with the pre-pandemic year of 2019, parents' interest in such a vacation has now grown by 10-15%, ”the expert emphasized. 

According to her, the sharp increase in demand is explained not only by the operation of the cashback program, but also by the consequences of quarantine restrictions to combat COVID-19.

Last year, some camps were closed, so up to 50% of the places sold this season were received by those who could not go to the camp in 2020, Ryzhenkova explained. 

In general, the initiative to return part of the funds will allow parents to significantly save on children's holidays, which is especially important in the context of the recovery of citizens' incomes from the consequences of the pandemic.

Marina Gritsun, Chairman of the Council of the Union of Organizers of Children's Active Tourism, told RT about this. 

“This compensation turned out to be a good bonus for all Russians with children.

And not only those with many children or needy people.

Such support measures are important for all parents who count money and control the family budget, ”the expert noted. 

In addition, according to Gritsun, due to the action of the initiative, the tourism sector will receive additional clients.

This state of affairs will partially compensate the industry for financial losses in 2020, Sigal is sure.

For many families, such institutions, as the expert notes, remain the most acceptable opportunity to organize a safe rest for the child in the current conditions.

“This arrangement accumulates additional demand for camps, which has a positive effect on their revenue.

At the same time, the growth of tourists has a positive effect on the economy of the regions as a whole: with an increase in tourist flow, consumer demand increases, purchases of food and related goods grow.

This leads to the acceleration of the industry's recovery from the pandemic and contributes to the revival of business activity in the regions of the country, ”the analyst concluded.