Association of Tour Operators of Russia held a press conference about the results of the year and the prospects for 2012. The year of 2011 will be a record-breaking in the growth of the number of the tourist trips, assure the experts. However, the profitability of the mass outbound destinations fells with the increase of the tourist flow. Domestic and inbound tourism demonstrate a restrained growth. 

According to the tour operators the tourist flow from Russia to Egypt decreased by 40% in 2011 in comparison with 2010. It happened due to the cancelation of the flights and mass media craze, thinks Gennady Borovikov, the Head of ATOR Analytical Service. At the same time he notes that despite the decrease, Egypt is still one of the most popular destinations for the Russians. It takes the first place in the rating of New Year bookings.

Nevertheless, the revolution seriously affected the statistics. One of the alternative destinations for Egypt became Thailand. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, the tourist flow to Thailand increased by 95% during the first 9 months of the year. However, despite the growth, the profitability of the destination falls.

The same situation was noted for Greece. According to ATOR Analytical Service Greece was the most competitive summer destination of the Russian market. A serious dumping affected the destination: it was possible to buy the tours for 170 Euros. According to the Federal State Statistics Service the number of the Russians in Greece grew for 58% in 2011.

Spain demonstrated a growth of 58.8%. Nevertheless, the profitability was low as well. ItalyhadagooddemandamongtheRussians. The increase of the number of the tourists amounted to 28.6%. The tourist flow to Cyprus increased by 40.5%.

The UAE has become a new trend. The number of the tourists increased by 32-35%. A budget segment of the Emirates was a good alternative for those who planned to go to Egypt. Moreover, the number of the flights from Russian regions increased.

Winter Bulgaria has become an unpleasant surprise for the tour operators. The winter tourist flow decreased by 15-20% in comparison with last year. The operators bear the losses almost the whole year round due to the high completion. The price policy of the hoteliers and air carriers affects the situation as well: Bulgaria is not a budget destination anymore.

As for the domestic tourism, not every Russian can afford traveling throughout the country. The price for the tours throughout Russia is often higher than for the trip to foreign country. Perhaps, the highest growth of the demand showed Altayskiy kray (Belokurikha) which can be interested as a wellness resort. The demand for St. Petersburg has grown as well (+20%). “We expect that Moscow will show a good result next year. The city has been the newsmaker of all mass medias for 6 months”, noted Maya Lomidze, ATOR Executive Director. The number of the tourists in the resorts of Krasnodarskiy kray increased by 15% (according to tour operators’ data). 

As for the inbound market, according to the tour operators, the increase amounted to 10% in 2011. It’s interesting to note, that the citizens of Iran became frequent tourists in Russia. Almost all the incoming operators have the tourists form this country during summer season. The Iranians turned out to be very generous tourists.

A considerable growth of the tourist flow to Russia was noted from Asia: China (+53%) and Republic of Korea (+15%). The visa abolition agreement with Turkey favouredthe increase of tourist flow from this country (43%).