“This is another planet”: where will Petersburgers go for the May holidays

Almost 40 percent of Russians (and residents of St. Petersburg are no exception) will spend the May holidays at domestic resorts. Such data was published by RIA Novosti with reference to the Level.Travel online tour booking service. However, according to industry experts, changes in demand, which have occurred under the influence of the geopolitical crisis, create a powerful incentive for the growth in popularity of another type of recreation - urban tourism. St. Petersburg traditionally occupies a strong position in this segment, which allows it to count on an additional flow of guests.

Road to the sea

The most popular destinations for recreation during the May holidays were the southern domestic resorts. The average cost of a holiday per person there, according to tour operators, during this period will be 56.3 thousand rubles. For comparison, the most affordable foreign vacation in Turkey on the same days will cost Russians an average of 124 thousand rubles. Egypt, UAE, Maldives, Sri Lanka are even more expensive.

Those who decide to get to the Black or Azov Seas by rail need to take care of tickets in advance. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) notes that tickets to the southern resorts for spring and summer are sold out very quickly. However, the Ministry of Transport promises that there will be enough train tickets for everyone. “If the demand for rail travel increases in the summer season, we will add wagons to trains that operate all year round,” Russian Transport Minister Viktor Savelyev said. The Federal Passenger Company will open up to 400 new trains on a number of routes, including from St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. In addition, two railway routes from St. Petersburg to the Crimea will be provided by the Grand Service Express (the first luxury train in Russia). In the summer, the Tavria train will depart daily from the northern capital to Sevastopol (the cost in June is from 4955 for a reserved seat and from 9070 for a compartment) and a day later to Yevpatoria. Also in the route network of seasonal trains will be the composition of St. Petersburg - Feodosia (from May 29, frequency - once every four days).

Petersburg tour operators also note the growing popularity of recreation on the Caspian Sea - in Dagestan and Astrakhan. “Dagestan will enjoy unequivocal popularity,” Anna Lupinova from the Silver Ring Group noted in a conversation with RBC Petersburg. - You can relax there, like at a resort. There is nature, and the sea, and mountains, and ancient history.” Tourists note convenient sandy beaches, affordable prices for services, in May the sea temperature already allows you to swim. However, a number of features may disappoint those who prefer exclusively a beach holiday: this is a muddy bottom, shell rock and a heterogeneous depth of the sea.

Hidden threat

The redistribution of demand in favor of domestic destinations plays into the hands of Russian southern resorts, but at the same time creates a threat for them, experts believe. In order not to lose customers if foreign destinations become more accessible to Russians, domestic resorts need to take care of the quality of their product.

“Last year there were a lot of complaints - the value for money is unrealistic. Southern resorts, when there is no alternative, stop fighting for the client. And last year it turned out that prices skyrocketed: the same number could cost 4,000 rubles a day, and a week later it was already 14,000 rubles. At the same time, nothing has changed in terms of comfort or in fact for the guest, ”stresses the head of the commission for outbound tourism of the PCT - North-West, Maria Ushakova.

Oriental vector

A significant part of the tourist flow from St. Petersburg will go to distant regions of Russia. For example, in Tyumen - to visit thermal springs. As Maria Ushakova explained, in some cities, infrastructure has become available to Russians, which was previously in demand mainly by foreign guests. “In Tyumen, Adygea, Karelia, Altai, a full-fledged infrastructure is now available, before there were a lot of foreigners and a very high price tag, now they are reoriented towards Russians. The advantage of these areas is that there is a certain bar in terms of the level of service and the ratio of price and quality. And today we confidently offer destinations such as Krasnoyarsk and the Far East,” said Maria Ushakova.

With regard to the Far East, tour operators recommend making a decision in advance, as this direction has proven to be extremely popular. At the same time, the number of rooms there is limited and the infrastructure is still insufficient. In addition to traditional types of recreation, adventure travel is also offered. Research tours involve visiting the Taimyr Peninsula and the Putorana Plateau, with trekking, climbing volcanoes with rangers and scientists, underwater fishing and watching whales and killer whales in the open sea, or a hiking tour along the Dusse-Alin mountain range with delivery by helicopter to a hard-to-reach plateau with transparent lakes, waterfalls and unique animals.

“The country is big, the distances are huge, there is another world, another planet,” notes Maria Ushakova. - I note that trips to the Far East for June and July began to be sold back in January and February, now you can still catch the last carriage. It is important to consider that the earlier you book, the tickets are cheaper there - this is essential for long-distance transportation, since the cost of the tour is significant.

Alternative product

The forced refusal of many Russians from foreign holidays has stimulated the growth in popularity of another type of recreation - urban tourism, analysts say. For example, the demand for trips to Kazan increased 10 times compared to the beginning of April. Interest in other tourist centers has also grown. “We sell very well tours to Vologda, regardless of the season,” Anna Lupinova, head of the Silver Ring group of companies, told RBC Petersburg. - There is an immersion in history, watching wooden architecture, monasteries and nature. Nizhny Novgorod is already sold out for May holidays.

Excursion tours on buses have become a popular form of recreation for Petersburgers. Operators note an increase in the audience aged 35+ in this segment. One of the reasons for the growth in the share of organized tourists, experts say, is the suspension of work and the departure from the Russian market of the international booking systems Booking and Airbnb. The lack of familiar services has limited the ability of citizens to independently organize trips, market participants explain.

According to experts in the tourism industry, in many respects, the forced attention of Russians to domestic tourism products creates additional opportunities for St. Petersburg, whose positions in the urban tourism segment are historically strong. It is no coincidence that demand from outside for trips to the northern capital has tripled compared to the beginning of April.