Analysts of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) compared the data of the FSB Border Guard Service on trips of Russian citizens to foreign countries with statistics from foreign countries themselves in the first half of 2024.
ATOR turned out that, in general, outbound tourism increased by 14% compared to the first half of 2023. And the volume of direct air transportation abroad to classic tourist destinations increased by 20%, in quantitative terms – almost a million more Russians flew to foreign resorts than in the same period of 2023.
The top six (Turkey, UAE, Thailand, China, Egypt, Abkhazia) account for 88.5% of the total tourist flow, while Turkey alone accounts for 36%. She is still the undisputed leader of outbound tourism in Russia by a huge margin from competitors. The most significant increase in the number of tourist trips is observed in China, Cuba, Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt and the UAE are growing, and there is an increase in Turkey. At the same time, the tourist flow to Indonesia, India, Iran and a number of other countries has decreased. If we take the preferences of Russians for August of this year, then, according to ATOR, the top six looks like this: Turkey, Egypt, UAE, Thailand, Abkhazia, Maldives.
Holidays in Russia are getting more expensive
Prices for holidays in Russia have increased by 14% over the year, said Maxim Reshetnikov, head of the Ministry of Economic Development. “14% is above inflation. We understand this problem. But in order to further curb price growth, the key factor in deterrence is the supply of room stock,” the minister said. He also said that 39 million tourist trips were made in Russia in the first half of 2024, which is 12% more than the same period last year. In addition to the traditionally popular destinations in the summer season – Moscow, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar Territory – Dagestan, as well as Samara and Khabarovsk are actively growing centers of attraction for tourists this year.
According to Rosstat, travel in the reserved seat of a non-company train in the first half of 2024 increased in price by 23%, in the reserved carriage of a branded train increased by 17%, travel in a compartment of a non-company train increased in price by 15%, and in a compartment of a branded train – by 16%.
Resort fee
Today, the news on the topic of the resort fee is not about the new regions that have decided to introduce it, but on the contrary – the tourist tax in Crimea will not be introduced in the near future. This was announced by the head of the republic Sergey Aksenov. Recall that the Crimea, Altai, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories are allowed to charge a resort fee from 2018. But this tax was never introduced on the peninsula, which increased the attractiveness of the region for vacationers. It was also influenced by the fact that prices for accommodation in Crimea remained at the level of last year. As a result, the tourist flow began to recover, and, according to tour operators, demand increased by 25% in 2024, which exceeds the average growth in other Black Sea regions. For example, in July, 1.2 million Russians visited Crimea, which is a third more than last year. Most of the guests come to the peninsula from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov region and Krasnodar Territory. At the same time, 62% get to the resorts via the Crimean Bridge, 29% by train, and 9% of vacationers pave the way through new territories.
Panic at the airport
On August 6, a massive stampede occurred at Yekaterinburg Koltsovo International Airport at night. There are victims. According to the press service of the airline, on the night of August 6, due to the deviation of air carriers from the schedule, the airport simultaneously accepted three flights from foreign resorts (Turkey and the UAE). A crowd formed in the border control zone, and then there was a strong bang (according to the Ural Transport Prosecutor’s Office, an urn fell in the corridor), and, according to eyewitnesses, someone shouted: “Bomb!” “As a result, a stampede and uncontrolled movement of people in the passport and customs control zones began,” the press writes- Koltsovo service. As a result, two people went to the emergency room (a girl’s leg was clamped on the escalator, and an elderly woman fell in the crowd), many passengers do not have a stamp on entry to Russia, many things and documents were left.
Allegedly, border guards restored order within a few minutes, and law enforcement agencies are investigating the reasons that provoked the situation and whether these actions were deliberate.
The plane is in the field
The fate of the Ural Airlines aircraft, which has been standing in a wheat field near Novosibirsk for almost a year, has been decided – in two weeks the Airbus will begin to be disassembled. A small town of buildings with all amenities will be created in the field, and airline employees will begin to disassemble the plane and transport everything of value to Yekaterinburg. It is planned to complete the process by the spring of 2025.
Visa News
The European Commission asked Hungary to explain the simplification of the visa regime for Russians and Belarusians by August 19.
Some MEPs and EU leaders are demanding that Hungary be excluded from the Schengen area. Germany has proposed to establish border controls at all borders with Hungary due to the security threat.
French Ambassador to Russia Pierre Lev
He said that Russian citizens will have to face longer processing times for applications for a French visa and increased fees.
The Italian Visa Application Center announced an increase in the processing time for visa applications to 60 days. Giovanni Favilli, Consul General of Italy in Moscow, explained the reason for the significant increase in the processing time for visa applications by the increased demand for visas from Russians for 7 months of this year (by 36% compared to the same period last year). Due to the shortage of staff at the consulate, the document processing process is delayed.
Bulgaria intends to improve the visa process in many countries of the world, but not in Russia. The country’s Foreign Ministry said it was working to increase consular services in priority destinations for Bulgaria: Delhi, Istanbul, Bursa, Doha, Jakarta, Tashkent, Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo, etc. There were no Russian consulates on the list, and in Russia itself, Bulgaria has not been able to arrange reception at visa centers in the country for more than a year: only branches in Moscow and St. Petersburg work.
On August 2, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka issued an order to suspend the operation of the e-visa platform operated by VFS Global, IVS and GBS, recognizing that the contract with these companies was concluded without a tender, caused financial damage to the state and negatively affected tourist activity. The idea of outsourcing the visa processing process had previously been sharply criticized by the Sri Lankan tourism industry, and the opposition considered this scheme fraudulent and corrupt. Dissatisfaction was also caused by a service fee of about $ 26, which was charged in excess of the cost of any visa.
The court also decided to return the process of issuing visas to tourists to the stage that existed before April 16 this year, that is, to the registration of electronic entry permits (ETA). Previously, a web portal functioned for these purposes eta.gov.lk . In the near future, it should start working again or a new one will appear. According to reports from Sri Lankan publications, visas on arrival are still stamped at local airports – for those who fit such a scheme of entry to Sri Lanka. Russians are among them. For Russian citizens, a visa on arrival for up to 30 days remains free of charge.
The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos informs about the softening of the conditions of entry into the country for Russian citizens: from July 1 to December 31, 2024, it is possible to issue multiple-entry visas valid for up to 60 days in the consular departments at the embassies of the Lao PDR. This is if suddenly 30 days of visa-free travel does not seem enough to you.
Excessive tourism
Via dell’amore, known as the most romantic walk in the world, between Riomaggiore and Manarola (Italy), opened after reconstruction started after a landslide in 2012. Built in the early 20th century, this kilometer-long route offers stunning views of the Cinque Terre coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A reservation system has been introduced to monitor tourists: a maximum of 400 people are allowed on the trail at the same time. Tickets cost 5 euros. The Cinque Terre is also fighting mass tourism by imposing fines for blocking traffic.
According to the new rules, starting from August 1, the size of one tourist group in Venice cannot exceed 25 people. Guides are forbidden to use a loudspeaker – “for the peace and comfort of local residents.” These measures to combat excessive tourism, which will apply to the entire historical center of Venice and the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello, were supposed to begin in June, but as a result, the deadline for their implementation was shifted to early August. Violators face fines ranging from 25 to 500 euros.
The situation in Santorini (Greece) in terms of the number of tourists coming to the island is getting out of control – the city council has ordered residents to stay at home so that “tourists can roam freely” on their tiny Greek island. In just one day in July, a record number of tourists arrived here – 17 thousand people. Of the record 32.7 million people who visited Greece last year, about 3.4 million, or one in ten, went to the island with a population of only 15,500 people. Local authorities have decided to set a limit of 8 thousand cruise ship passengers per day from 2025.
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Источник: argumenti.ru
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