Photo: Victor Drachev/tass
Serious problems in Russian resorts — both in terms of pricing, transport and sanitation — force Russian citizens to look for alternative vacation options.
Most of the people have shifted to personal cottages, but not everyone has them. In addition, many people want to combine a country vacation with a tourist trip to another region, and relatives or friends are not everywhere. There is only one option — to rent something.
Bedbugs, lice, cockroaches, as well as the general contamination of the entire territory — these are the current realities of the Black Sea resorts of Russia. Plus the terrible situation with rotavirus and other infections. Hordes of rats and stray dogs, so to speak, in addition. There are jellyfish in Crimea. It’s creepy.
At the same time, the cost of recreation is growing rapidly, tourists are openly deceived — compared with those tariffs that were declared at the time of booking, the prices for accommodation are overestimated at times. Russians are trying to complain to the “relevant” department, but even there the officials are all purple.
The authorities do not care about the transport problems, citizens cannot leave the resorts now. There are no tickets for planes and trains, and buses too. Toll highways have once again become very expensive, it is economically impractical to travel south along them, so many relied on public transport. But the monopolists from Russian Railways are no longer shy — 70 thousand rubles for one seat on the train.
According to forecasts by experts in the tourism industry, after all this lawlessness, a real crisis may break out in the Black Sea resorts next year. People just won’t go — fortunately, there are better places.
The capital region is not particularly attractive for tourism, there have always been many people who want to spend their holidays in Moscow and the suburbs. Especially now. However, there is a problem with accommodation. According to Hotel Advisors, the average price for a room in the capital’s hotels has increased to 10.1 thousand rubles, or 40% since the beginning of this year. Moreover, when calculating this “average”, all sorts of “elite” hotels are not taken, which for obvious reasons are empty. In fact, for that kind of money, you can rent a room a little better than a murdered apartment in Khrushchev.
It is for this reason that many guests of the region prefer to settle in Moscow region, rent cottages. The price tags, of course, also bite, but compared to the cost of the capital’s hotels, the level of quality of services is completely different. Plus, you do not need to pay for parking, which in Moscow now costs absolutely indecent money.
About 100 thousand per month — this is the cost of renting a good cottage with a living area of 100-200 sq.m. within the Central Ring Road, the closer to Moscow, the more expensive, and vice versa. Transport infrastructure is also important, and more is being asked within walking distance from railway stations. But not much, since the supply far exceeds the demand.
In more remote parts of the Moscow region, you can rent the same house for 70-80 thousand rubles per month and even cheaper, by the way, not only in distant ones. For example, in the vicinity of Odintsovo, about a quarter of all real estate that is leased in Moscow region. But no one takes it, even with discounts, since transport accessibility here is … inaccessible, there is a real road hell. In other areas, where the roads are better, business is much more brisk.
For 2023, the cost of long-term rental of cottages in The Moscow region decreased by 20%, in the Leningrad region — by 25%. A year earlier, rates collapsed even more — by 30-40%. Homeowners are aware of the macroeconomic trend and are switching to short-term rentals.
“The number of houses for short-term rent in Russia has more than four times the number of similar options for long—term rental,” says Alexander Ivanov, a leading analyst at the federal company Etagi.
About 10-12 thousand rubles a day will cost the same 100-200-meter house within the Central Ring Road, with a well-maintained plot and a large parking lot. Often there is also a sauna, a barbecue area (with a supply of firewood), an aviary for a dog, sometimes even a swimming pool. A kitchen with a set of dishes is meant by itself. And all this luxury at the price of a very average room in a metropolitan hotel. The choice is obvious, and therefore there is a demand. Moreover, in the light of the above-mentioned situation with “hyped” resorts and the unavailability of international trips, it is only growing.
Landlords are also interested in the topic of short-term rentals, since profits are twice or three times higher, and demand is much more stable. Another thing is that many are simply afraid (or lazy) to bring such facilities to the market, preferring to search for long-term tenants.
Yes, it’s easier with them, the ideal option is a wealthy Russian family with children who pays for a house for a year in advance. But these are becoming a vanishing rarity, and few decide to settle Caucasians and Asians. And it ends, as a rule, very badly.
However, the same thing happens with short—term rentals – no matter who the cottage is rented to, “face control” is strict here. Only Russians, only decent ones, family tourists are a priority.
Given the pre—infarction state of the real estate market — the countryside is no exception – the supply on the short-term rental market is increasing. Prices have been rising until recently, following the cost of rooms in the capital’s hotels. On the contrary, long-term rentals have been getting cheaper for a long time.
The same is expected for houses for tourists, the price limit has already been reached, and supply has clearly begun to outpace demand. Why bargaining becomes quite appropriate, especially if you want not just to spend the night, but to live at least a week. There is a lot to see in Moscow, and in the region too.
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