RUSSIA: Russian Tourism Improves In 2016

Mediterranean destinations and Southeast Asia attracted this year more Russian tourists after the problems in Turkey and Egypt, according to the Director of Russian Tour Operators Association (ATOR) Maya Lomidze.

She revealed that the first data on Russians' holidays abroad this summer indicate an increased demand throughout the entire season for Mediterranean destinations such as Greece, Cyprus, Spain and Italy along with a slight increase for Croatia and Montenegro.

Southeast Asia made a comeback in the top ten popular destinations after two years of weak demand. Another important finding is the increased demand for Tunisia this year, at a rate of over 200% compared with last year, positioning the destination among the top-3.

Ms. Lomidze added that Russians seek more affordable accommodation and flights this year with the average package cost ranging around $600.

Nevertheless, they are still among the most generous tourists with the average spending per trip reaching as high as 500 euros.

RUSSIA: Russian Tour Operators Association Says Number Of Tour Operators Will Continue To Fall 2016

The number of companies selling foreign tours to Russian tourists has fallen by 70 percent over the past year, says Dmitry Gorin, deputy head of the Russian Tour Operators Association.

"Before the crisis, we had 2,050 companies that were involved in the organization of overseas tours, now there are 650 of them," Gorin says.

Russia's tourism industry has been suffering from the plummeting demand for international travel among Russians, caused by the sharp drop in the ruble's value.

The companies have also been hit by restrictions on travel to Russia's two most popular tourist destinations — Egypt and Turkey.

Russia banned all passenger flights to Egypt last month after a Russian plane crashed in the Sinai peninsula on Oct. 31.

Russia also imposed a ban on selling package tours to Turkey on Dec.1 as part of a package of sanctions against the country over the downing of a Russian warplane.

The Russian Tour Operators Association predicts the number of tour operators will continue to fall next year.

"In the best-case scenario, there will be 500 tour companies left in 2016, in the worst, 300," Gorin said.