Russian tourists are welcome in many countries, but there are places where Russians are especially loved. From Serbia, where Russians are called brothers, to India, where thousands of Russians leave every year.

Serbia

Relations between Russia and Serbia have a long history, during which they have been tested for strength more than once. Although sometimes it was not so smooth. However, during periods of major upheavals - the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, the First and Second World Wars, the Yugoslav crisis of the 1990s - Russia always came to the aid of the small Balkan country, or at least expressed all-round support for it.

Public opinion polls conducted in Serbia in 2010 showed that Serbs have a significantly better attitude towards Russians than towards their European neighbors, despite the fact that there is a certain negativism among the Serbian elite, mostly associated with overestimated expectations of support from sides of Russia.

There are now about 2,500 Russians living in Serbia; some Serbian universities have a department of the Russian language.

Since 2009, a visa-free regime has been in place between Russia and Serbia; several tens of thousands of Russians come to the Balkan country every year. However, the best way to characterize the attitude of Serbs to Russians is a poster in the center of Novi Sad, which reads in Russian: "Thank you Russia!"

Greece

The connection between Greece and Russia has always been close, as it relied on similar spiritual and cultural values. The desire to preserve traditions is evidenced by the numerous visits of Russian leaders to Greece.

In particular, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took part in events dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the proclamation of Greece's independence, after its liberation from the Ottoman yoke. This is a memorable event in which Russia also played a role.

Russians in Greece are loved and always welcome. Greece has recently been one of the priority holiday destinations for Russian tourists, which was largely facilitated by the simplification visa regime between the two countries.

Statistics show that over the past three years, the flow of Russian tourists to Ellada has more than tripled.

In 2013, the number of tourists from Russia amounted to 1 million 352 thousand people. On average, a Russian tourist spends about 1,000 euros in Greece, while tourists from other countries usually leave no more than 700 euros here.

The Greek Ambassador to the Russian Federation Danae-Magdalini Kumanaku, when asked about stereotypes concerning Russians, answered that “there is a positive attitude towards Russia in Greece”. Repatriates from the USSR, who are well integrated into Greek society, act as a kind of bridge in the relationship between Greeks and Russians.

India

After the collapse of the USSR, Russia inherited close friendly and partnership relations with India. Many Russians willingly move to this Asian country, where they live very comfortably.

The warm attitude of Indians towards Russians is largely due to the comprehensive assistance that the Soviet Union provided to India. Russian entrepreneur Anna Tikhaya-Tishchenko notes that "it is surprisingly pleasant for Russians to be in India", also due to the similarity of the mentality of the two peoples.

Cuba

Cuba has not yet forgotten the enormous financial, economic, military and political support that the Soviet Union provided to it. Even when Russia, starting in the early 1990s, stopped providing assistance to the Island of Liberty and embarked on the path of normalizing relations with the United States, the Cubans essentially did not change their attitude towards the Russians.

Note that quite recently, despite the difficult economic situation in the country, the Cuban authorities decided to allocate money for construction in Havana Orthodox church... Cubans continue to carefully look after the Memorial dedicated to Soviet soldiers-internationalists.

Russian tourists are always welcome guests in Cuban resorts.

This is not to say that they are loved there more than others, but they are always welcomed. Especially warm relations, according to vacationers from Russia, in the Cuban province, which is not so ruined by money.

Nicaragua

During the Soviet era, Nicaragua was the second most important strategic partner of our state after Cuba among the countries of Latin America. Large financial injections into the Nicaraguan economy have provided significant support to the developing state. Russia also forgave almost all the debt to the Latin American country - the total amount of amnestied funds amounted to almost $ 6 billion.

Nicaraguans never forget about the gratuitous assistance that our country has provided and continues to provide.

To this, the country's leadership, represented by President Daniel Ortega, responds to Russia with unconditional support in the international political arena. Thus, Nicaragua became the first country after Russia to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Confirmation of the strong traditions of friendship between the two countries can be seen on the streets of Managua. "Russia - Nicaragua" - such an inscription adorns the buses running around the capital.

Venezuela

Russian-Venezuelan relations received a good stimulus for their development back in 1857, when the Russian Empire recognized the independence of the Republic of Venezuela. In 2008, after the visit of President Dmitry Medvedev to Venezuela, there was a new leap in relations between the two countries, followed by the Agreement on the Waiver of Visa Formalities between Moscow and Caracas.

There are few Russians in Venezuela. These are mainly tourists. Often, as Russian guests note, if the interlocutor likes the Venezuelan, he will show the way, give necessary information, possibly feed.

The best gratitude for the hospitable host will be a small souvenir in the form of a T-shirt or a cap with the inscription "Russia".

President of the Caribbean Dream Group Mikhail Kranchev, who lives on Margarita Island, confirms the good attitude of Venezuelans towards Russians. Kranchev notes that even during the presidency of Hugo Chavez, Venezuelans loved to repeat that "our presidents are friends."

Syria

Russia has a long and strong relationship with Syria. Almost since the founding of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Soviet Union has provided diplomatic and military support to it in its confrontation with Israel.

In 1971, the material and technical unit of the USSR Navy was founded in the Mediterranean port of Tartus. Soviet firearms, cars, tanks, planes, rockets.

Thus, Syria became the most loyal state to the Soviet Union in the Middle East.

Syria did not have the opportunity to pay off the Soviet Union for the supplied weapons, so by 1992 its debt to Russia exceeded $ 13.4 billion.

Part of the Syrian debt - $ 9.8 billion out of $ 13.4 billion - was written off in 2005. To pay off the remaining amount, a number of agreements were signed between Moscow and Damascus in the field of construction, oil and gas. Syria has also pledged to purchase Russian weapons and modernize armored vehicles supplied during Soviet times.

Turkey

Russian tourists are loved in Turkey. Perhaps this is historical memory. Despite the fact that Russia often fought with the Ottoman Empire, after the revolution, relations between Soviet Russia and the Turkish Republic changed. The USSR helped Turkey very much in its formation. Supplied food, weapons.

The Soviet government helped Ankara build two gunpowder factories, supplying equipment and raw materials for them.

Frunze allocated 100 thousand rubles to the Trabzon authorities to organize an orphanage, and Aralov donated 20 thousand lire to the Turkish army for the purchase of camping printing houses and cinema installations.

Lausanne International Conference on Turkey, held from November 1922 to July 1923, led to the proclamation of Turkey independent state, whose president was Mustafa Ataturk. All foreign troops were withdrawn from the country.

During the conference, the Entente left behind the straits of Turkey. When the "Montreux Convention" was signed in 1936, where the USSR was already a full-fledged participant, and Turkey was a very strong state, the Turks returned sovereignty over the Straits.

The list of countries that do not like tourists from Russia has been replenished in recent years. At the same time, residents of those places that are becoming more and more popular with Russians as resorts have joined the ranks of Russophobes. Due to the bad behavior of some compatriots abroad, the stereotypical thinking of the "hosts" and differences in cultures, Russian tourists may face the rudeness and aggression of the host country on vacation.

Baltics... Once in the Baltic States, you will surely notice that the opinions about Russia and the Russians, contained in the local media, reflect the opinion of ordinary citizens much more than is commonly believed. The image of Russia as an occupying country, imposed on the Balts for about 20 years, is firmly entrenched in the minds of young people and is perceived extremely negatively. So, a Russian who decides to rest in Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia may run into rudeness and rudeness. It will be better for you if you do not know the local languages ​​- you will save your nerves. It is especially not recommended to know how "Russian pig" sounds in Latvian, Estonian or Lithuanian. "A friend who lives in Riga, seething with anger, voiced to me the comments of Latvians made to us in the expectation that we are both Russian tourists and do not know the language," says Anna. smiled. "

Experienced tourists from Russia advise that in order to be served not least in local restaurants and cafes, it is best to communicate with each other in English. When communicating in Russian, you risk waiting for your order as long as you like. "We were traveling by train Moscow-Vilnius. When our turn came up in the restaurant car at the bar counter, the bartender began to serve the Estonian woman standing behind us, and he and she showed with all their appearance that it could not be otherwise", - says Irina.

Ukraine, more precisely - its western part... No matter how much you try to talk to the hotel staff or the waiter in Russian, nothing will come of it, they will still answer you in Ukrainian - out of principle. Nobody here believes that a Russian tourist really may not know what Chorna Kava is. “I couldn't communicate with the waiters,” says Alexey. “They didn't react at all to my Russian remarks. Orders had to be made through my friend from Kiev. For two days, not a single, really, not a single waiter answered my requests made in Russian ".

In Lviv, the Kryivka restaurant, dedicated to the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), is flourishing. On the walls there are posters of anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic content, and the names of the dishes on the menu will stir up the appetite of not every Russian: fried carp "Moskaliki drunken crucian", buckwheat "Wehrmacht's everyday life", cocoa "Childhood of Stepan Bandera". But in order to be able to inspect the interior of "Kryrivka" and get acquainted with the menu, you need to know the password to enter the establishment - the organizational greeting of a member of the Bandera movement "Glory to Ukraine" (in response - "Glory to the heroes"). After a successful exchange of code words, the guard will require you to swear that you are not a Muscovite or a communist.

If during the day the health of a Russian tourist in Lviv, by and large, is not threatened, then at night you can run into ill-wishers on a national basis anywhere - even on the square of the Lviv Opera House. The ill-wisher can be recognized by the loud exclamation of "Muscovites for knives!", And it is better not to wait for what will follow. “We were almost beaten in the very center of Lviv just because we were Russians. Militant young people, hearing Russian speech, ran up to us, began to shout obscenities in broken Russian, offered to fight, accompanying their proposal with active gesticulation - so that we understood, apparently, - says Alexey. - We fell behind when we learned that there are Ukrainians in our company - they decided to let us go in peace. "

Turkey. The more holidays in this country are gaining popularity among Russian tourists, the less local residents are happy about their arrival. This is especially true for the female part of the population. Due to the flourishing sex tourism in the country, women of Slavic appearance are increasingly faced with the manifestation of hostility from Turkish women. Turkish men are more supportive of Russian women, but they say about men that they do not understand what a family is, therefore they allow women to behave dissolutely. Turks often make claims to Russians that have already become commonplace: love of alcohol and fights, inability to behave at a buffet. But there are also more original statements. "My wife does not like Russians, she says that they are all sick with AIDS," said a Turk who sells souvenirs in a hotel shop with a Russian tourist. "After which the interlocutor hastened to assure me that this is nonsense, and he, of course, does not believe in it," says Evgenia.

France, Courchevel b. Interest in ski resort Russian Courchevel began to wake up a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russian tourists of that time, of course, are strikingly different from today's visitors to this prestigious resort. But despite the fact that the Russian oligarchs who come to the Alps today are sophisticated, educated people with good taste, the French do not like them and do not want to coexist with them during their holidays. Actually, no one wants to coexist with Russians during the "Russian seasons" in Courchevel. The behavior of wealthy Russians seems to Europeans too shocking and even indecent. In January 2007, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov was arrested in the fashionable Byblos hotel in the company of 7 women on suspicion of organizing a pimp network. True, then all charges against Prokhorov were dropped and they apologized for the detention; the French failed to prove the obscenity of the actions of Russian tourists. However, they still do not like Russians, because they all wear T-shirts with the inscription Russia, every restaurant has a menu in Russian, and pickles are served with the vodka ordered at the bar without any questions. “And my French husband doesn’t get tired of wondering: where did they get so much money from ?!”, says Daria, who has been living in Paris for 10 years.

For the period between the New Year and Orthodox Christmas, as well as at the beginning of March, the British and the French themselves have a vacation in French Alps have to be postponed. “The French say that in the 'Russian seasons' they have nothing to do there, and they sigh with nostalgia,” says Daria. “They believe that the Russians took Courchevel away from them, and they cannot forgive them.”

True, there is a small part of the French who are happy with the massive influx of Russians. These are service personnel who remember our compatriots with gratitude because of the colossal tips.

India, Goa... It looks like Russian tourists have fallen out of favor at their favorite resort. Goa's tourist honeymoon with Russia is over, The Times of India stated in February. Russian tourist visas are either expired or extended for a small bribe. Russians do business in Goa, commit crimes, attack local residents, and similar behavior horrify Indians and scare away tourists from other countries - endangering the well-being of the state's tourism industry, the newspaper writes. "We have never had a problem before with the British, Germans, Scandinavians or even hippies since the 70s," the newspaper quotes George Fernandez, president of the Goa Tourist Taxi Association. a car at the airport of their compatriots and do it under the guise of taking their friends. Do friends come to them every week ?! " Russian tourists are representatives of the lower classes of society, they are hostile by nature, according to Goa. The firms they set up in Goa do not pay taxes, and the Russians not only deal with crime themselves, but also provide a convenient environment for Indian criminals. Indian politicians do not deny that they once benefited from tourists from Russia, but note that they have lost even more. And the locals say that they will not tolerate hostile attacks from the Russians, and promise to pay them in the same coin.

According to statistics from Rostourism, the top 50 tourist destinations over the past year are expected to be led by Egypt, Thailand and Germany. For independent travelers, the end of the list is much more interesting - countries where the number of Russian tourists is in units, but not those where they do not exist at all (for example, due to military conflicts, epidemics or cataclysms). In the world, only six countries received less than a dozen tourists from Russia in the first half of 2015. Having assumed how they can attract travelers, we have drawn up an alternative travel plan for 2016. The material was prepared with the support of the Tourister.com project.

Thank you for the information provided Federal agency on tourism.

Mali - 8 tourists

A country without a single tree except for a dozen square kilometers national park... In the east of Mali, the scorching sun of the Sahara always remains at its zenith. Under its sands, not one Atlantis of the past is hidden, cities and whole kingdoms have arisen and disappeared here without a trace for the last ten hundred years. The tip of the iceberg of the desert is the semi-fabulous city of Timbuktu, a port among the sands where caravan drivers from all over Africa untied bales of curiosities. European travelers of the first third of the 19th century, one after another, were looking for shopping center Africa, driven by passion and the promise of a big jackpot. And when they found them, they literally lost their heads in attempts to get behind the protected walls of Timbuktu, erected with the sole purpose of blocking the path of non-Muslims.

Today Old city Timbuktu with adobe mosques, libraries and retail space taken under the protection of UNESCO and is the most unusual architectural ensemble in West Africa... Every wrinkle in the clay hides horizons unsolved mysteries from logical paradoxes to astronomical incidents. Even more ancient evidence of the human presence in Mali - mountain villages Dogon countries. These tribes were the first to inhabit the territory of the republic and continue to live according to the laws of the Neolithic, while they are photographed on iPhones. Above the dwellings of the Dogons, which have adhered to rocks taller than human growth, there is a five-day trail almost to the neighboring state of Burkina Faso. This is one of the most welcoming hiking trails in the world - the trail changes direction over and over again so that the sun always shines on the traveler's back.

Despite the proximity of the desert, summer in Mali is the rainy season, so depending on the time of year, you can find yourself in one of two completely different countries... The Republic tops the list of the poorest regions in Africa, but all basic tourist amenities are charged triple the price. So adventurers traveling to Mali should not be surprised if they are sacrificed to post-colonialism and a world without borders.

Iceland - 6 tourists

A protected country on the border of the Arctic, on the coast of which icebergs gather in summer, and in winter the northern lights shine instead of the sun. 99% of the population are Icelanders, who, according to the Viking tradition, call each other by their first names - only foreigners have surnames. The second official language of the country is Icelandic Sign Language, in which all important inscriptions and announcements are duplicated. The fact that Icelanders literally live on a volcano does not prevent them from being the happiest people in Europe. If they leave the island, it is only for a while.

Icelanders are born fishermen, herring is seriously called gold here and on weekends they go to the fish market as carefully as to mass. In addition to haukarl - rotten shark meat that is included in all lists of strange national dishes - in Iceland you can taste sea sparrow smoked on a mixture of mountain herbs and sheep dung, pickled seal fins and cod cheeks. If these wonders are not enough, the Torrablout gastronomic festival is held throughout the country in January, where chefs and amateurs cook according to old Viking recipes.

The island landscapes explain the phenomenon of Icelandic music - clouds float out of the ground, the ocean rears up in the fountains of geysers, waves of the color of Prussian blue crash on black beaches. Fishing towns share rocks with bird colonies, and whale callsigns replace train horns for Icelanders on an island without railways... Icelanders understand nature, live with it and sometimes even create it themselves. Waste water from Reykjavik's largest plant fills a city pool Blue Lagoon, so clean that they write prescriptions for bathing in it.

Republic of Macedonia - 5 tourists

The second poorest country in Europe after neighboring Albania. The main article of local export is the counterfeit heritage of Alexander the Great. For the right to use their own name, Macedonians endure a food blockade and political hairpins from Greece, which refuses to recognize Hellenic roots for a Slavic state with a third of the Muslim population. In response, Macedonia finds more and more evidence of the non-Greek origin of Alexander the Great in the apocrypha, underground treasures and folk signs.

In the center of the capital, Skopje, three years ago, a Greek polis was built, the style of which residents called "historical kitsch". Ironically, reinforced concrete pantheons, statues with plastics of labor shock workers and reliefs with a plasterboard base only expose the deception of Macedonia and extol objective history. The town-planning epic is crowned by the monument to Alexander the Great, which, however, cannot be called that, since the Macedonians are prohibited from using Greek historical symbols in the public information field. At the same time, on the balance of Macedonia's own, not rigged history - the first Cyrillic and Jerusalem of Orthodoxy, Ottoman rule with ubiquitous baths and nuclear fusion of cultures, the Soviet regime and countless battles for national freedom. True, because of the disadvantaged neighbors, package tourists have not yet decided to travel to Macedonia - the resorts are traditionally half empty.

Kuwait - 3 tourists

A Middle Eastern monarchy, driven into the corner of the Persian Gulf by Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In practice, this means that Kuwait is washed by the black sea of ​​oil. A citizen of Kuwait can only be born, but every page in a Kuwaiti passport is a lucky lottery ticket. The emir's subjects receive benefits even for living with him in the same generation, and have the right not to think about money while the fire is burning over the drilling rigs.
Moreover, more than half of the country's population are immigrants. They borrow
all auxiliary posts in the country work up to 14 hours a day so that the gilding does not fly over the Kuwaiti dream. Arabian tale in fact turns into an oriental parable. There is almost nothing to spend on treasures obtained in Kuwait at someone else's expense. A few cities, scarce for entertainment, are surrounded by a silent desert, and the descendents of nomads traded their passion for travel for the weight of wealth. Therefore, they can only watch satellite channels and dream of the inaccessible luxury of foreign millionaires.

The thunderous front of American fighters that caused "Desert Storm" swept away every oil rig in the kingdom, but over the past 25 years, Kuwait has literally been rebuilt. The tastes of Arab architects are roughly similar to the notions of Russian nouveau riche about aesthetics, so mall cities are all
as one resemble the business quarters of the Moscow City or the mirage of the St. Petersburg Okhta Center. Corteges of expensive cars pass through the streets, densely smeared with asphalt, between the windows of boutiques, hotel entrances and VIP-halls of restaurants, descendants of the sheikhs from The Thousand and One Nights float. The recent military conflict is reminiscent not only of the photograph of fighters over the scorched oil field, which made the Flickr account of the US Air Force famous, but also periodic military operations and retaliatory attacks. It is understandable that tourists prefer to spend their holidays in quieter neighboring countries, especially since it is not so easy to obtain a tourist visa to Kuwait.

Luxembourg - 2 tourists

A dwarf state in the shape of a wooden galoshes has been pushing Belgium into the North Sea for a hundred and fifty years. Luxembourg is a geopolitical monument to French arrogance and German tact. The dispute between two empires over a dozen castles of a tiny principality, squeezed between rocks, rapids and oak thickets, was magically resolved in favor of the locals when the Prussians granted them independence in defiance of the whims of the Napoleons. Luxembourg received a clear profile of state borders and freedom of foreign policy, giving in return only a few tons of stone. The fortress walls of the main castle of the principality had to be razed to the ground, spent with the steel of dozens of armies, but never taken by storm. Pretty soon, albeit without powerful walls, Luxembourg again became a stronghold. This time - big money and even more politics. One of the villages in Luxembourg gave the name to the entire Schengen area of ​​open borders, the Adolf Bridge linked the countries of Europe into a single union, and UN secretaries in the capital can be found more often than street musicians.

According to the law of attraction of the masses, tourists often neglect Luxembourg in favor of plump eminent neighbors. Because until now, not everyone knows
that it is in this microspace that two Europeans meet - the star of the Latin quarters and the hostess of a beer tavern. In Luxembourg, Spanish and German cultures are so densely dissolved that they shine through in shining crystals on city squares, under arches of railway stations, at cafe tables and between rows of benches in churches. The Alzet River divides the capital into an Upper and a Lower City - quite in the spirit of magical realism or intellectual mysticism. In the line of brick facades, the colors of paintings and ceramics of tiles are visible, stems and buds make their way through the plates of the parade grounds, and the southern sun is clearly felt in the taste of wine. It is worth staying in Luxembourg longer than one day on duty to inspect the casemates and d'Arm square, and the city will appear as the most underrated European capital.

Faroe Islands - 1 tourist

A theme park for the North Stung - 18 islands in the navel of the Norwegian Sea, covered in fog for 350 days a year, thick and aromatic like steam over a mug of hot ale. So the Vikings drank it, and the Faroe Islands were their northern Tortuga - a haven on the routes of sea voyages. The locals respect their origin and, despite the unspoken title of the outcasts of Europe, remain faithful to the honest pagan way of life. They speak the dialect of Old Norse - the language of the ancient sagas, spend their leisure time doing the arts, slaughter sheep and whales for food and fundamentally do not participate in the common European political games. Two currencies are still circulating in the country, the kronor - Danish (formally the Faroes are part of Denmark) and the Faroese - equal to it in value, but incomparable in beauty.

There are almost no trees on the archipelago - the sea winds blow through the Faroe Islands. One of the islands received the nickname Flute due to the network underground caves and galleries where water secretly meets the wind for hundreds of years. But even without trees, there seems to be too much nature here - Faroese walk on grass and water more often than on asphalt, and in order to distinguish a stream of highways on green pastures, you have to look with all your eyes. Waterfalls run from city to city and plunge into the sea, mixing crystals of glacial water with shreds of sea foam, rocks grow above the fog and low clouds on the Faroe Islands, birds argue with dolphins and seals near the coast, and the plank walls of houses are painted in the colors of a pine cut, lingonberries and moss. On the outskirts of the archipelago there are islands where only a few people live - a family, an elderly couple, a hermit. Tourists are greeted with dignity, without honey-flowing smiles, especially since people of a special character usually decide on a difficult journey for the romance of the Faroe Islands.

There is no set of sights on duty, as in a computer strategy, but there is beauty to the horizon and unbeaten roads open to either side. Do not be surprised if, dreaming over the flight paths of the hatchet birds, you do not notice a solar eclipse or aurora borealis - this happens all the time in a country where haste is not honored, and conversations begin at low tide, and end with the arrival of the first frost.

The Tourister.com project invites you to join real adventures in different parts of the world. We design trips ourselves, inventing new routes: we organize ascents, regattas, motor rallies, ethno-expeditions to places where ordinary tourists do not. Each group is accompanied by a cameraman who takes photos and videos throughout the trip and then edits a short film. Participants are given branded equipment, and with flags, like a real team, we travel the world. You can join us with friends or alone, choosing an adventure by difficulty, budget, destination, event or date.

The summer season of 2018 demonstrated a redistribution of Russian demand towards mass and close destinations with "all inclusive". The most popular holiday countries and the preferences of tourists in the summer of 2018 are in the material of the ATOR Vestnik.

The weakening of the ruble and the fall in the real disposable income of the population pushed demand in the summer of 2018 towards several massive and relatively cheap destinations. In the segment of outbound tourism, destinations with large volumes of charter traffic and the prevailing all-inclusive system, which allows tourists to significantly save on the final price of the trip, are confidently entrenched in the leaders.

All these factors led to a peculiar picture of the distribution of the summer organized tourist flow in 2018. Despite the negative economic background, Russian tourists are not yet ready to give up travel for the sake of saving. Such cost-cutting tools as changing directions to cheaper ones, saving on excursions and duration of rest are being used.

According to a preliminary analysis, in the summer of 2018, more organized tourists rested both abroad and in Russia than a year earlier, however, due to the redistribution of demand, almost the entire increase in outbound tourist traffic can be attributed to Turkey.

FACTORS AFFECTING SUMMER DEMAND

The high-profile bankruptcies of some small tour operators, according to market experts, practically did not affect outbound tourism this year: the scale of losses was relatively small, and the niches of weak players were almost immediately occupied by financially stable companies.

The successful pace of early booking gave market players the illusion of a very significant increase in demand for outbound destinations in the 2018 summer season. Early booking 2018 was unique for the market: according to tour operators, up to 40% of the planned programs in mass destinations were sold until April of this year. The largest volume was sold in Turkey and Tunisia. To a lesser extent, European destinations were sold - Greece, Bulgaria, Spain.

Until April of this year, up to 40% of the planned programs in mass directions were sold. The largest volume was sold in Turkey and Tunisia. To a lesser extent, European destinations were sold - Greece, Bulgaria, Spain.

In April, when the first jump in exchange rates took place, the demand for foreign destinations "froze", according to the agencies interviewed by ATOR Vestnik. Participants in the retail market point out that with each subsequent jump in currency rates, demand "froze" for at least 7-10 days. “Despite the successful start of sales, due to currency fluctuations, the last month of the summer was extremely uneven. We began noticing signs of stabilization in demand only at the very end of August, ”says the CEO of the company. PEGAS Touristik Anna Podgornaya.

All these factors combined have led to the fact that the traditional summer adjustments to charter programs have become more significant in 2018. At the same time, a massive reduction in flight programs by tour operators from initially overestimated plans occurred in June, the remaining ones were reduced in July.

WHO GOT GOLD

The undisputed leader of the 2018 summer season was -. According to preliminary forecasts of tour operators, by the end of 2018, the number of Russian tourists in Turkey will grow by 15% compared to last year - i.e. up to 5.4 million people.

Even after optimization of transportation on the direction, there was some excess of it. Thus, in July, the cost of a flight in a package reached $ 50, with a real cost of more than $ 300. Cheap Turkey has become one of the factors that pulled tourists away from other foreign destinations, which, against the backdrop of a weak ruble, increased in price.

Average prices in the Turkish direction ranged from 65.1 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 70 thousand rubles. in early September, reaching a peak in late June and early August (77-80 thousand rubles). Note that these amounts already include all-inclusive meals, unlike most other areas. This largely predetermined the success of the Turkish product.

SECOND PLACE - RUSSIA

In second place among organized tourists -. According to the aggregated estimates of tour operators, up to 2.5 million organized domestic tourists have visited the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea this summer. Share organized tourism in the South of Russia this season, according to preliminary estimates, amounted to 1/5 of the total flow to the Black Sea resorts, having remained approximately at the last year's level or increased slightly.

Sales were supported by two factors. Firstly, it is the loyal pricing policy of hoteliers who have learned from the mistakes of the “cold” (in every sense) summer of 2017, when prices were inflated after a successful 2016. Secondly, the weakening of the ruble against major currencies played an important role, making planned trips abroad inaccessible for many and prompting the search for cheap options within the country.

One of the largest players in the direction, "Biblio-Globus", the flow to the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea increased by 15% compared to last year. According to the calculations of Vestnik ATOR, this tour operator alone in the summer beach season of 2018 sent about 930 thousand tourists to the resorts of the South of Russia.

In addition, as the heads of travel agency networks note, more and more people are restricted to travel abroad. “If there is one family member who is not allowed to travel abroad, then all other family members (usually three more people) will choose to rest in domestic resorts,” Aleksan Mkrtchyan, head of the Pink Elephant travel agency network, rightly notes.

More than 50% of domestic organized tourists chose Sochi in the 2018 summer season. The rest are Crimea, Anapa and Gelendzhik. The most significant growth in demand is observed for Greater Sochi and Crimea. The best growth for Sochi was given by August - this can be explained both by the excellent weather, and by the fact that the average prices in hotels in the Krasnodar Territory during this period approached Turkish (comparing 3 * properties with "all inclusive"), and prices for tours with breakfasts were significantly below Turkey.

More than 50% of domestic organized tourists chose Sochi in the 2018 summer season. The rest are Crimea, Anapa and Gelendzhik. The most significant growth in demand compared to last year is observed in Greater Sochi and the Crimea.

Crimea also gave a good increase compared to last year in the organized segment - the opening of the bridge fueled interest in the direction. Domestic tourism, which forms package tours with flights, has become a significant factor.

“The interest in tours to Crimea exceeded the indicators of the same period last year by 27%, while the demand for land-based accommodation in Crimea increased by 1.5 times. The leaders in demand are the resorts of the southern coast of Crimea from Yalta to Alushta, followed by the resorts of Vostochny and West coast", - they say in" Biblio-Globus ".

For almost the entire season, the three main mass organized destinations - Crimea, Sochi and Anapa - replaced each other in the leaders in terms of the availability of tours, based on average prices.

Average prices for tours to Crimea started at the beginning of the season from 34.5 thousand rubles. for a seven-day tour for two, reaching a maximum in early August (52 thousand rubles) and dropping in early September to 45.5 thousand rubles.

Average prices for tours to Sochi ranged from 40.1 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the end of May up to the same 40 thousand rubles. in early September, rising during the season. Average prices peaked in mid-June - RUB 63,000.

Anapa showed practically the same starting prices in late May and early September, but the peak at the average price was at the beginning of August - 56 thousand rubles.

Despite the low values ​​of the average price for Russian resorts, it is necessary to understand that to a large extent these figures were achieved due to a large number of offers from objects 1-3 *, without meals or with breakfast meals.

"BRONZE" GOES TO GREECE

Greece ranks third in terms of the volume of organized tourists sent. “In Greece, in the summer of 2018, island vacations were the most popular, first of all Crete, followed by Rhodes and Corfu,” the press service of TUI Russia says. Traditionally, tours with AI and FB meals are most in demand among organized tourists in Greece.

This summer, Greece's share of tour operators' sales fell by about 2-3 percentage points. Summer sales followed, falling short of the target. Tour operators and retail players believe that the reason for this is the weakening of the ruble against the euro and, as a result, the rise in prices in the Greek direction.

In Greece, the summer of 2018 was the most popular island holiday, primarily Crete, followed by Rhodes and Corfu.

Tour operators had to adjust their flight programs: adjustments were made in all regions of Russia from the beginning of the season and practically until its end. On average in the market, transportation to Greece was reduced by 15%, with reductions in both the regions and the capital. Tickets to Greece "burned out" in August as well. On average, the market reduction in tourist flow to Greece in the summer season could be up to 10% of.

Average prices in the Greek direction ranged from 50.1 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 90 thousand rubles. in early September, reaching a peak in early July (80 thousand rubles).

WHO ELSE WAS INTO TOP-10 OF ORGANIZED TOURISTS

The top three countries are followed by Tunisia, Cyprus and Spain. Organized demand in Tunisia, compared to last year, increased in the summer from 5% to 15% among major market players. The tour operator Coral Travel is in second place in the summer TOP-3 destinations of Tunisia. At Biblio-Globus, as of the beginning of August, sales of tours to Tunisia have already exceeded the sales figures for the entire summer period of 2017. At the same time, the company notes a high percentage of returning tourists to the Tunisian direction, including those who return to the same favorite hotel from year to year.

The popularity of the direction was not even undermined. In just three summer months, about 360 thousand Russians rested in Tunisia. It is expected that by the end of 2018, Tunisia will show better results than last year, approaching the figure of 580-600 thousand tourists from Russia.

Average prices for tours to Tunisia started at 63 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season and gradually increased to 77 thousand rubles. in the beginning of September.

The demand for Cyprus in the organized segment is approximately equal to the last year, some tour operators note an increase of 5-10%, some - a drop in demand. Nevertheless, the total tourist flow from Russia to the island has decreased. Average prices for tours to Cyprus ranged from 63 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 73.6 thousand rubles. in early September, reaching a peak in late July and August (80 thousand rubles)

Most of the Russian tourist arrivals in Spain this summer have happened. Spain has become the most economically profitable destination for tour operators this season.

Most of the Russian tourist arrivals in Spain this summer have happened. Spain has become the most economically profitable destination for tour operators this season. A number of market participants note an increase in organized demand in Spain up to 18% in comparison with the previous year. By the way, Spain became one of the few destinations this summer for which no adjustments were made to flight programs.

Average prices in the Spanish direction ranged from 87.2 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 92.1 thousand rubles. in early September, reaching a peak in the third decade of August (123 thousand rubles).

Thailand also entered the TOP 10 summer destinations in 2018. This direction even got into the summer TOP-5 of such large tour operators as PEGAS Touristik (4th place) and ANEX Tour (5th place). Average prices for tours to Thailand started at 90 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season, then decreased at the end of June to 75 thousand rubles. and then gradually increased - up to 112 thousand rubles. for a seven-day tour for two in early September.

Also in the top ten - traditionally popular with Russian family tourists, which showed a decrease in tourist flow in June and July - it amounted to 8% and 16% year-on-year, respectively. The decrease in volumes in Bulgaria was influenced by both Turkey and the expensive euro and the peculiarities of the loading of the direction by European tourists.

Flight programs to Bulgaria on average in the market were optimized by 20%. In particular, the transportation on I Fly was reduced - tourists were transferred to Bulgaria air. Average prices in the Bulgarian direction ranged from 58 thousand rubles. for two for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 50 thousand rubles. in early September, reaching a peak in early August (72 thousand rubles)

Among other popular destinations this summer, we note that they remained at the level of last year, as well as (slight decline) with (results at the level of last year or slightly lower).

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The approaching summer vacation season poses eternal questions for Russians: where to rest and how not to go broke. This year, for tourists from Russia, two of the most popular destinations last years - Turkey and Egypt. They will be replaced by other resorts. "Lenta.ru" talked with experts of the tourism market and found out where our compatriots will rest and how much it will cost them.

Heading south

There are fewer and fewer hopes for the restoration of flights with Egypt in the near future. Just a few days ago it became known that Russian experts have once again violated the work of Egyptian airports.

Local authorities claim that they control the security in the country, but even if this is the case, additional checks, approvals and the opening of flights will take a lot of time. Tour operators will not have time to quickly put charters on the stream and form tour packages for travelers, so it's time to admit: we will spend the summer without Egypt. However, the most courageous can get there on their own - with transfers in third countries. However, such efforts are unlikely to be justified, because for the money spent on organizing such a trip, you can have a good rest in other countries.

Holidays in Turkey are still reserved for independent tourists. But even despite the discounts offered by hoteliers and the relative cheapness of air travel, it will still cost more than a comparable tour to Greece, for example. At the same time, vacationing in Turkey is now also unsafe.

“Among foreign destinations for this summer, charter flights to Bulgaria (Burgas) and Montenegro (Tivat) are the most popular among independent tourists, Paris closes the top three for the 2016 summer season,” says Vladislav Shevtsov, CEO of the online travel hypermarket DaTravel.com.

According to the company, vacations in the former Soviet republics are also gaining more and more popularity: tours to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Armenia account for a significant share. The most popular European cities are Thessaloniki, Nice and Rome.

Most Russians this summer will prefer to rest at home. This is facilitated, among other things, by the growth of offers in the segment of inexpensive domestic flights. Thus, the share of air tickets costing up to 5 thousand rubles in the first three months of this year increased to 65 percent. However, this only applies to flights within Russia, the number of low-cost international flights, on the contrary, is.

Vladislav Shevtsov says that for Last year the top Russian destinations have not changed: as in 2015, Russians buy the most air tickets to Moscow, Simferopol and St. Petersburg.

Shevtsov's observations are also confirmed by Alena Koryakina, the head of the Rambler / Travel travel service, who believes that Russian resorts will not be deprived of the attention of vacationers in the summer. “Tourists will go to domestic resorts - in Sochi, Anapa, Crimea, as well as to the rivers and lakes of Russia. From the European countries, the loyal Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece and Cyprus will be popular, ”the expert believes.

Another country where the Russians will go this season will be Spain. Majorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Costa Brava and Costa Dorada will be especially popular with travelers, Alena Koryakina believes.

I agree with Koryakina and the head of the European department of the BSI Group tour operator Ekaterina Kameneva: summer season showed Spain and Italy. The demand for tours to Spain among Russian tourists has increased by 25 percent compared to last year, to Italy - by 20 percent ”.

Greece has become another leader in the rating of Russians' preferences. Despite the visas that tourists faced in early May, travelers are still willing to book tours to Greece. Today this country has become the only alternative to all-inclusive vacations in Egypt or Turkey. Weekly tours can be found here for 15 thousand rubles per person, "last-minute" - and at all for 6-7 thousand.

Larisa Akhanova, PR director of Tez Tour, says that Greece is the second most popular destination for summer vacations, behind only Russia. The number of bookings in this direction increased by 40 percent compared to the previous year.

Photo: Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti

Another type of travel that Russians are passionate about is travel by train. The romance of the reserved seat: boiled chicken, cards with fellow travelers and beer with smoked fish, bought at short parking lots in the cities of southern Russia.

Natalya Anisimova, head of the public relations department of the Tutu.ru travel service, notes that it is too early to talk about summer in general, since train tickets can be bought in a maximum of 60 days, but there is already information on reservations for June. So, the most popular route in the first summer month trips between Moscow and St. Petersburg began, immediately followed by trips to Anapa. Also, Russians are happy to go to Kazan, Novorossiysk and Adler. At the same time, prices for trips from Moscow to Anapa have even slightly decreased compared to June 2015 (by 3.4 percent), but tickets to Adler, on the contrary, have risen in price by almost 30 percent.

Issue price

Tours to Bulgaria will be the cheapest for travelers today, says Alena Koryakina - from 22.8 thousand rubles per person per week of rest. A similar tour to Greece costs about the same - 23.3 thousand rubles, to Montenegro - 5 thousand more.

By the way, on Friday, May 13, it became known that Bulgaria has a visa processing time for Russians up to two days, and Montenegro has a visa-free stay in the country for our tourists from 30 to 90 days.

According to DaTravel.com experts, Russians are not going to shorten the duration of their travels this summer and are planning to rest for 14-15 days on average. "On a round-trip flight this summer, Russian tourists spend an average of 22.8 thousand rubles, which is 25 percent more than the average check for a flight last summer, when the average ticket price was 18.2 thousand rubles," says the CEO of the company Vladislav Shevtsov.

The representative of Tez Tour agrees with Shevtsov: “This summer tourists do not refuse to travel, and in conditions of limited travel abroad they prefer to take the maximum from their vacation. They save up for vacation, borrow money, take loans, but they go on vacation, ”says Larisa Akhanova.

According to the expert, if last season the Russians rested on average seven days, this summer - already ten. In addition, tourists began to book high-class hotels more often - the demand for four- and five-star hotels increased by 20 percent.

Wherein average check summer vacation, according to Akhanova, is still small: about 30 thousand rubles per person.

According to the tour operator BSI group, the most budgetary among domestic destinations are travel along the Golden Ring: the cost of tours starts from 9.9 thousand rubles. You can go to Crimea for 13.8 thousand (including flight and accommodation), to Karelia - for 17.6 thousand.

Flights for independent tourists have increased in price by 10-50 percent compared to the summer of 2015. Analysts of the OneTwoTrip service calculated that, on average, a round-trip flight from Moscow to Tivat rose from 14 to 18.7 thousand rubles (34 percent), to Rome - from 10.8 to 16.3 thousand (50 percent), in Barcelona - from 15.1 to 18 thousand (20 percent), Larnaca - from 11.9 to 15.6 thousand (30 percent). This year Pobeda started flying to Cyprus, which for some dates sells tickets to Larnaca or Paphos for 6-7 thousand round-trip.

According to the development director of the company, Arkady Gines, Thessaloniki is the only international destination that has lost a little in price this year (four percent): you can fly there from Moscow for 14.2 thousand rubles. But flights to Anapa and Sochi fell slightly - by 2 and 20 percent, respectively.

Crimea, on the other hand, rose in price - by 38 percent. On average, tickets to the peninsula will cost 10.1 thousand rubles. For this money, with due diligence, you can fly, for example, to the Black Sea in Georgia or to the Mediterranean in Spain. Or add another three thousand and go to Crimea as part of a tourist group - accommodation will be almost free.