Federal Agency for Tourism: there is still no confidence that our tourists will be in safety in Egypt
The Federal Agency for Tourism spiked the rumours about a preparing a resumption of flights from Russia to Egypt because it does not think they are not safe enough. Aleksander Sirchenko, a representative of the Agency, told about it at a tourism forum in Kazan. In general, outbound tourism in the country has been decreasing for three years, and, according to the preliminary estimates, in 2016, it will account for only 54% compared with last year's level, while domestic tourism in Russia is, on the contrary, will increase by 20%. However, as the participants of the sector assure, holiday on the Black Sea coast won't become too expensive, a maximum growth is 10-15%.
A third of Russians are not satisfied with domestic travels
Sergey Tolchin, the deputy director and sales director of Intourist, presented forecasted data on dynamics of tourist flow at the forum 'Tourism in Russia. Prospects and opportunities 2016'.
So, according to his data, the number of tourists going abroad has been decreasing for three years, and this tendency will be preserved this year too. For instance, 11m of Russians spent their holidays abroad last year, this year, experts of the sector forecast 6m tourists. 'We haven't experienced these changes for a long time,' Tolchin admitted.
Domestic tourism is, on the contrary, is developing: in 2014, over 41m people rested in their country, in 2015, their quantity was 50m people, and in 2016, 60m domestic tourists are expected. The head of the Administration of the State Tourist Projects and Safe Tourism Aleksander Sirchenko (on poster) agreed with the data and noted that additionally 20m people come to Russia every year. Overall, according to his estimates, about 70m tourists visited Russia during the year. 'Can you image what possibilities we have?' he stated and advised tourist companies to pay attention to the service level and create and attractive touristic product.
'About 30% (domestic tourists) come back with a feeling that they did not like everything,' Tolchin agreed. In his opinion, the reason is that clients are not there where they wanted to go because they don't have enough information about the city they visit. First of all, tour operators should explore regional tours in order to solve this problem: nowadays specialist know only foreign tours.
According to Tolchin, the very Intourist there was a growth in tourists to all tours: Crimea, Sochi, Bulgaria. Tunisia, etc. The company is one of few ones on the market that ended the year at a profit.
There is no 'sense' in talking about resumption of flight to Egypt
Despite rumours, a key driver of outbound tourism – Egypt – did not come back by the beginning of the season. 'There is no sense in talking about the terms. All publications that appear are not based on reliable sources,' Sirchenko said in answer to the question of Realnoe Vremya. It should be reminded that Sergey Naryshkin, a speaker of the State Duma of Russia, stated at the end of January. 'We discussed in detail a question in resumption of tourist flow of Russian tourists to resorts of Egypt and we are convinced that we will solve these problems in the short run,' RIA Novosti cites him.
'The issue can be resolved only when there will be provided safety of our Russian tourists in full measure. Our competent bodies together with competent bodies of Egypt are working on it with the intention of the execution of the complex of safety measures. There is still no confidence that our tourists will be in safety there.
Aleksander Osaulenko: 'If the Federal Agency for Tourism temporarily removed a part of companies from the register, it does not mean that they stopped working… According to the Russian legislation, they are obliged to meet their obligations they had undertaken'.
According to the functionary, both parties have an aspiration to normalize the situation, but for Russia safety is a top task. 'It is better not to go to Egypt, stay alive and go to another country or a Russian city,' he said. And the question of the resumption of flights to Egypt might be raised in time.
Turkish tourist operators were offered to sell their business
He also commented the removal of the juridical persons of the largest Russian tourist companies, whose capital has a Turkish participation, – Pegas Touristic, Anex Tour, Coral Travel, Sunmar Tour from the registry of tour operators. It should be said that the Federal Agency for Tourism made this decision at the end of the last year because of anti-Turkey sanctions: citizens and companies of Turkey were among the founders of these companies. 'It is not our decision, it is the decision of the government based on the order of the President of the Russian Federation,' he noted. According to Sirchenko, the companies has an opportunity to continue their work: to sell their business, remove Turkish citizens from the founding members, etc. However, no tour operator has taken these measures yet. 'They are forbidden until they eliminate the cause. It is their pigeon, and someone probably does not to do it,' he answered to Realnoe Vremya.
Coral and Pegas are trademarks. If the Federal Agency for Tourism temporarily removed a part of companies from the register, it does not mean that they stopped working. Pegas companies numbered 23, now they make up 11. Coral companies were 25, now only two of them work. Anex don't exist any more. Nevertheless, according to the Russian legislation, they are obliged to meet their obligations they had undertaken,' added the director of Turpomosch Aleksander Osaulenko.
Will Crimea increase just by 10%?
The participants of the forum came to an agreement that Russian sea resorts won't be able to compensate the loss of Turkey and Egypt for everyone, but they don't have such a task. Moreover, as the chairman of the State Council of Crimea on Health and Resort Complex and Tourism Aleksey Cherdyak supposes, for instance, the rest in Crimea presupposes a holiday with excursions, not beach a holiday.
The participants of the forum disproved the high price growth of holiday in Crimea, which, according to rumours, is waiting for tourists. As Sirchenko told, an average increase in prices in Sochi is 7-8%, in Anapa – 4-5%, in Crimea – 10-15%. Meanwhile, Tolchin admitted that there are some operators or hotels that raise the prices by 30-40%. As he reminded, the participants of the market fixed the prices they wanted. 'But they are mostly socially responsible and increase the prices by 10-15% because a component of product became expensive: earlier they were delivered from Ukraine and now they come via the gulf and the inflation…' he says.
So, in general, the Federal Agency for Tourism estimates the increase in prices for holiday on the Black Sea coast 10-15%. Tour operators forecasted the price growth of accommodation in Crimean hotels in the summer by 15-30%. The reason was the absence of other cheap variants of seaside holiday: this niche was occupied by Turkey and Egypt.
