In January 2022, a new stage of the tourist cashback program is to begin in Russia.
This was announced on Monday, December 13, by the head of Rostourism Zarina Doguzova.
“I am very pleased to announce the continuation of our travel cashback program in 2022.
Sales under the program will start on January 18 and will last for almost three months, until April 12.
It will be possible to go on a trip immediately from the first day of sales until April 30, inclusive, ”said Doguzova.
Thus, the initiative will affect half of the winter and almost the entire spring, the head of Rostourism emphasized.
According to her, at this time the ski season is still continuing and active types of winter recreation are available.
Meanwhile, in the spring, you can plan cultural and educational trips or health and sanatorium vacations, added the head of the department.
“At the same time, in contrast to the peak of the season, New Years or May holidays, there is less excitement during this period, therefore there is a greater choice of hotels, available rooms and inexpensive tickets.
And you can go on vacation cheaper and more affordable, ”Doguzova emphasized.
The terms of the program remain the same.
Russians traveling around the country can return up to 20% of the cost of the tour, but no 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.
The authorities launched the tourist cashback program in 2020.
Then 300 thousand people took part in the action, who bought vouchers for 6.5 billion rubles, and the state returned 1.2 billion rubles to them.
In 2021, the initiative gained wider popularity - since the beginning of the year, almost 1.7 million tourists have used the terms of the promotion, who have purchased tours and hotel accommodations for more than 34 billion rubles.
In the form of cashback, 6.7 billion rubles were returned to tourists on cards.
“An important point is that the autumn stage of the program is planned for next year, starting from October.
We will announce the exact start dates in the second half of the year, ”added Zarina Doguzova.
Until 2024, the government plans to allocate 5 billion rubles annually for the tourist cashback program.
Such investments comprehensively support the tourism industry and allow the segment to develop new directions.
RT was told about this by Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT).
“This is the most effective measure of state support, which allowed domestic tourism to recover quickly in the face of a pandemic.
The new sales window gives tourists the opportunity to take their time to make a choice, and operators can receive more travelers in the off-season.
At the same time, thanks to the action, Russians are discovering new routes for themselves.
For example, the demand for cruise tours has increased by a third in comparison with pre-pandemic values, ”Gorin said.
© Zamir Usmanov / Global Look Press
In addition to supporting the tourism sector, the program has a positive effect on related industries and stimulates the development of regional economies.
Pavel Sigal, the first vice-president of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized businesses "Support of Russia", shared this opinion in an interview with RT.
According to him, a large number of hotels, aggregators, tour operators take part in the program, which, even under quarantine restrictions, make a profit.
This state of affairs encourages the subjects of the country to invest significant funds in the development of tourism infrastructure and the popularization of their resorts among the population, the expert said.
“Additional profits in the low season will be received by the hotel business, the railway and air transportation sector, as well as related industries - catering, cultural leisure and entertainment establishments.
For most popular holiday destinations in the country, previous years' revenue and number of visits increased by 20% compared to the period when cashback was not yet introduced, ”added Sigal.
Flight geography
As RT was told in the travel planning service OneTwoTrip, on the eve of the New Year holidays, Russians are most actively buying tickets to Moscow (28% of the total number of all bookings), St. Petersburg (9.5%) and Sochi (5.9%).
Also, the most popular routes now include flights to Krasnodar (3.3%) and Mineralnye Vody (2.4%).
After the holidays and until the end of winter, Kaliningrad, Simferopol, Irkutsk, Rostov-on-Don and Yekaterinburg will join the list of the most demanded destinations.
Such data RT provided in the travel and travel service Tutu.ru.
“The average check for a flight across Russia during the New Year holidays is 8.29 thousand rubles per person, one way.
Meanwhile, in the winter period until the end of February, the figure is slightly lower - 6.35 thousand rubles, ”the press service of Tutu.ru noted.
As Dmitry Gorin emphasized, traditionally, in the winter-spring period, the cost of tours around the country is less than during the holiday season.
In turn, the cashback program will help citizens save additional money.
“Moreover, the action allows you to go with a noticeable discount to those regions that were not previously so popular with Russians.
We are talking about excursion routes to Tyumen, Kazan, Sakhalin, as well as the ski resort on Sheregesh.
At the same time, flights are carried out on some destinations, which are subsidized by the state, which makes them more accessible, "Gorin concluded.