There will be Egypt but for 100,000 rubles?
The federal level frightens with high price tags. However, Tatarstan experts think the price is unreal
The date of the renewal of flights between Russia and Egypt was supposed to be known on 27 September. Meanwhile, federal experts have already managed to frighten the Russians with prices. It is told a price for a one-week holiday for two people will be from 60 to 100,000 rubles. In turn, the representatives whom Realnoe Vremya talked to are doubtful about the impartiality of these numbers. They forecast a reduction of the price and demand of this destination in case of its opening.
Egypt for the price of Vietnam and Thailand
It is planned to resume flights between Russia and Egypt in October, which stopped in November 2015 after the plane crash. The plane was operating a flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg. It was told the head of the Ministry of Transport Maksim Sokolov was going to talk to President of the country Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi about the renewal of flights on 27 September. The Association of Tourist Operators of Russia writes by citing mass media that they were going to talk about possibilities to create separate terminals for tourists from Russia as a safety measure. Russian experts who inspect the airport of Hurghada also talked about such measures.
We can only guess when not only regular but also charter flights resume. But the association informs that experts say up to 500 charter flights per month can be operated in the short run, which is comparable with the intensity of charter flights to Turkey after their renewal.
The results of the meeting will be known later. But even now experts in the tourism industry forecast that tour packages to Egypt will rise in price after their renewal. According to Izvestiya, the fact that planes will fly back empty explains a price tag at 60-100,000 rubles for two people's seven-day holiday during the first weeks. If tour operators don't have losses they planned, they will have to include it in the price of a tour package. Moreover, it should be taken into consideration that Russian planes don't cross Ukraine.
60k for 5 stars is a reasonable price
The president of the Association of Tourist Agencies of Tatarstan and the director general of Persona Grata tourist agency Ramil Miftakhon doesn't agree with the forecast that the price of a tour to Egypt for two people will reach 100,000 rubles. He says the first and the last flights of a season are always empty. And it doesn't affect the price of tours much.
'If we analyse the price of 20 empty round-trip flights, there will be a 5% rise. This is why it is not correct to say that empty flights explain the high prices for this destination.'
In Miftakhov's opinion, 60,000 is a reasonable price for a tour package for two people's 10-day holiday in a five-star all-inclusive hotel.
The director general of Companion SP Sergey Pasechnik, for his part, says the numbers from 60 to 100,000 rubles for a tour package are expected in the market. But if companies have these programme, they will have to fill all empty seats on a plane by all means. And probably special offers with low prices will appear just before the take-off.
The commercial director of Salavat bureau of tourist services Kamil Tarzimanov supposes $700-800 is a reasonable price for a tour package to Egypt for 10 days. But if the price increases by $100, it won't stop people. He has no doubt about the popularity of the destination because Thailand, the UAE and other countries are more expensive.
'They also have a careful approach to Egypt'
According to Miftakhov, if flights really come back in October, Egypt will be the cheapest segment of the tourist product in the market. Waiting for the opening of the destination, airlines connected with the big three – Anex Tour, Pegas Touristik and Coral Travel — sent their request for permission of charter flights. In his opinion, other airlines will also change their plans when Egypt appears.
'I think the load will be low in the beginning. But if we take into account that Egypt is a favourite mass destination in autumn and winter, the demand will be quite high with such a price,' thinks the director Persona Grata. 'When flights to Turkey resumed, few people were expected to fly. But the load of flights in September has been quite good, even full – almost 90%. I think the same think will happen to Egypt.'
However, Sergey Pasechnik doubts that Egypt will be a popular destination this year. The interlocutor of the newspaper believes that approach to tourism has changed now – companies became more pragmatic and started to count their money. Reduction in their staff, in the number of flights is obvious because companies don't want to risk. Consequently, they don't expect a big flow of tourists in the beginning.
'For this reason, they also have a careful approach to Egypt – to provide the market with cheap but massive tourism because it was supposed this mass tourism would go to Crimea, Sochi. In fact, a part of people prefers to talk about it and stay home, in the countryside. And don't think that those people who visited Egypt three years ago will rush to go on holiday,' thinks the director general of Companion SP.