Citizens of Kazan liked Emirates on New Year holidays, while Russians, in general, — their homeland
The winter holiday hit the tourism industry in terms of price, but it didn’t impede the demand from growing
Package tours have cheapened on January holidays, while many plane tickets, on the contrary, have risen in price. Despite different information about prices, the results of the holidays for the tourism industry market can come to one thing – a growing demand for trips. Realnoe Vremya found out that residents of big cities of the Volga Federal District weren't ready to refuse trips but chose cheaper options – travels across Russia. It cannot be said about Kazan where people flew to Prague, Baku and Dubai on a par with Russian cities. By the way, the Emirates occupied a special place in this story because right they became the most popular destination not only from Kazan but also the Volga District and Russia, in general. Realnoe Vremya tells the details.
Emirates take the lead
The New Year holidays are a traditionally fruitful period when many people travel. This year a pleasant present waited for tourists of Kazan – a reduction of prices for all most popular winter destinations, excluding, as strange as it might sound, Russia (from 55,124 rubles to 76,727).
According to Sletat.ru Group of Companies, 7-day tours for two adults have cheapened on the holidays. By the way, OneTwoTrip says the Emirates have become the most popular destination not only in the capital of Tatarstan but also in the Volga District and Russia, in general. So the visa-free regime for the Russian to the UAE yielded fruits – the Emirates accounted for almost a third of all trips only in Kazan as well as in other big cities of the Volga District like Ufa, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod. But we have to note that the tours to the Emirates have become lower in price in these cities like in the majority of other destinations.
If speaking about precisely tourists who fly from Kazan, there has been a reorientation of one of the most popular destinations to other this year. Thailand has come down from the first to the second position, while Turkey occupied Vietnam's place that has fallen from the third to the sixth line. Russia that has gone up one position has appeared on the fourth place instead of India. The Czech Republic has fallen a bit behind it, the Kazan citizens' interest in it has also grown.
Prices grow together with demand
It's difficult to judge how much the tendencies for reduction of prices for package tours has changed. However, it's possible to complete the puzzle with independent flights. According to Aviasales, the majority of flights have risen in price by 20% in Kazan in a year. At the same time, the demand has considerably grown, though the economic situation has affected the trips anyway – tourists have gone from the Tatarstan capital mainly to Moscow, Petersburg, Sochi, Simferopol as well as Prague, Baku and Dubai. The service also notes a twofold growth in these destinations in comparison with the last year. But prices for tickets to two destinations only have gladdened – to Moscow (-6,9% to 5,457 rubles) and Baku (even -198% to 15,706 rubles). Dubai has become more expensive the most among the popular destinations from Kazan where an average flight has been almost 49,000 rubles (+31%). Russian Simferopol isn't far from the Arab city, where the price for plane tickets has increased by 25% to 13,474 rubles and Saint Petersburg with a two-way flight price of 11,194 rubles (19%).
More Russia
The situation in other big cities of the Volga Federal District is slightly different from Kazan. According to Aviasales, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Istanbul and Prague were at the top of Samara. And demand has grown by 30% in comparison with January 2017, especially Istanbul and Moscow. In addition, tickets to Sochi whose price has risen by 19% to 20,000 rubles on average have become the most expensive. Meanwhile, Prague, on the contrary, has dropped by 14% to 39,634 rubles.
Citizens of the majority of other big cities of the Volga District preferred to limit to Russia on the New Year holidays. Nizhny Novgorod, Perm and Ufa can be called among such cities, though Prague joined Moscow, Sochi and Petersburg. It is mainly linked to the reduction of ticket prices. What's more, they have become cheaper by 57%, no more, no less (the price has decreased to 30,543 rubles).
Aviasales notes that, in general, demand for New Year trips has almost doubled with a 10% of price growth in Perm, while tickets in Nizhny Novgorod have become more expensive by 20% and prices for the most popular destinations have reduced a bit. Petersburg is an exception, tickets to it have grown in price. However, people started to travel there less due to growing prices.
Volga District flies across Volga District
OneTwoTrip whom Realnoe Vremya had asked to analyse data about demand for two-way 'economy' tickets from 29 December to 8 January from all cities of the Volga Federal District didn't notice that prices had grown but noted demand had risen. According to it, an average ticket price across Russia on the New Year holidays become 100 rubles cheaper – from 9,648 to 9,553 rubles and 4,000 rubles for international destinations (from 29,486 to 25,491 rubles), which can be linked with an increased number of direct flights from Volga District cities and stabilisation of the ruble rate.
Plane tickets to all destinations on the January holidays, in turn, have grown by 59%. Sales of tickets to international flights have also grown two times in comparison with the last year. Another tendency is on the surface as well – if plane tickets are traditionally bought beforehand, this year 10% of all tickets have been purchased right on the festive days. OneTwoTrip says the list of the most popular domestic destinations wasn't a surprise – in descending order, it was Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan and Ufa followed by Samara, Simferopol, Orenburg, Perm and Nizhny Novgorod.
Speaking of international destinations, here Europe is the leader, of course, though it is mixed with other mainly beach cities. The top 10 consists of Prague, Munich, Tel Aviv, Bangkok, Milan, Paris, London, Larnaca, Colombo and Berlin.