Demand for health resorts increases by a third in the spring in Tatarstan

Booking of vouchers and wellness holidays in Tatarstan sanatoriums increased by 30% in the second half of March. Yevgeny Terentyev, the chairman of the board of Sanatoriums of Tatarstan, told Realnoe Vremya about this.

“Probably, the reason is that now there are good promotions, offers and discounts ... Then prices are already rising significantly. Now is the best time for people who want to save money on spa treatment. The cost starts from 2 thousand rubles a day. This amount also includes medical procedures. Next, 2.3 thousand rubles and 2.5 thousand rubles in ascending order: depending on the class of accommodation, room category and fullness of procedures," Terentyev said.

According to him, they mostly book either for 5-7 days or 10-12.

“But more often 10-12 days," Terentyev noted.

Previously, Chairman of the Board of the Sanatoriums of Tatarstan noted that in the first 11 months of 2023, the growth in the number of vacationers in regional sanatoriums amounted to 17%, reaching the level of 180 thousand people.

This time, Terentyev cited operational data from Rosstat, according to which in December 2023 and January 2024, the number of guests in sanatorium-resort institutions of the republic amounted to 22 thousand people, which is by 23% more than in the same period a year earlier.

According to the Federal Association of Wellness Tourism and Corporate Health (AOT), residents of Tatarstan most often chose the regional sanatoriums Vasilevsky and Zhemchuzhina. Some Tatarstan residents, following the all-Russian trend, preferred the resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters.

As the experts of the Alean tour operator found out, 67% of adherents of sanatorium treatment are going to this region this spring. A ten-day vacation in economy-level resorts starts from 110 thousand rubles for two, in medium-segment sanatoriums — from 140 thousand. Accommodation in premium class facilities starts from 200 thousand rubles, Alean noted.

Commercial Director of Arnika sanatorium (Kislovodsk) Victoria Anuchina confirmed to Realnoe Vremya the return of interest in Caucasian Mineral Waters health resorts, including among residents of Tatarstan.

“If we analyse the year 2022, the percentage of guests from Tatarstan was at the level of 1.8% per year. In 2023, it dropped slightly to 1.3%. But in 2024, we are seeing growth. The interest is increasing. In general, we see that in March-April, the interest of all guests, including from Tatarstan, increased. If last year the sales dynamics started in April, now it has started in March. Besides, the seasonality factor is shifting, on which we all depend very much. Until recently, January, February, and March were months of low workload," Anuchina said.

Earlier in the Mashuk Aqua-Term sanatorium, located in another city of the Caucasian Mineral Waters region, Zheleznovodsk, Realnoe Vremya was told that residents of Tatarstan are regular and frequent guests of their resort.

“Their number is small. But they come all the time," the resort noted.

In general, in Russia, according to Mikhail Danilov, the medical director of AOT, health tourism accounts for at least 10% of the total domestic tourist flow in terms of the number of trips.

“About 7 million people a year use sanatorium treatment. At the same time, there is an annual increase in both the number of overnight stays and the number of guests. For example, according to the operational data of Rosstat, the increase in 2023 compared to the previous year in terms of the number of guests is 5.6%, and in terms of the number of overnight stays — 2.9%," the expert noted.