This week, Yevgeny Moskvichev, head of the State Duma Committee on Transport and Transport Infrastructure, did not leave journalists without resonant statements, and experts without reasons for comments.
He offered his vision of how to achieve a reduction in air ticket prices: insurers and tour operators should direct part of their own profits to compensate for the cost of air transportation. According to him, this practice is used in some countries.
The head of one of the tour operator companies told us that he was literally overpowered by media representatives, who have to patiently explain that such a model is not working.
The profitability of the tourism business in domestic tourism is even more modest than in outbound tourism. In addition, for trips around Russia, the vast majority of tourists book air and railway tickets on their own, sometimes they buy only hotel accommodation through tour operators. Therefore, the volume of sales of package tours in the country is minimal. If the deputy’s initiative is translated into a legislative decision, the participants of the travel market will somehow have to put additional costs into the cost of their product: as a result, the end consumer will pay more. The same applies to insurance companies if they are obliged to subsidize air transportation.
It is necessary to achieve cheaper air tickets with the help of market instruments, the expert believes. Due to inflation, rising prices for aviation fuel, and aircraft components – by 2-3 times due to current restrictions on their import into the Russian Federation, seats on flights are also becoming more expensive. At the same time, the volume of air traffic this year may, according to forecasts of the aviation authorities, decrease by 7% – from 105 million to 98 million passengers. To solve the issue of the price availability of air tickets, it is necessary to increase the supply on the market. In addition, state support is needed for the aviation industry, as well as for tour operators who order flight programs on tourist routes.
As for other recent proposals, for example, to set an upper threshold for air fares, this will only lead to a shortage of transportation, as airlines will simply begin to leave unprofitable destinations.
UPD: at your disposal TourDom.ru an insider has appeared that one of the major tour operators may support the initiative of the legislators. Is there an intrigue brewing? We will monitor the development of the situation.
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