But most operators recorded losses

The number of Russians who went on vacation abroad in June-September increased in key tourist destinations, according to foreign statistics collected by Kommersant. But, as the tour operators themselves admit, they failed to make money on the increased demand. The World Football Championship in South Africa, which took place in June and July, was not a notable event either.

Kommersant once again analyzed the available statistics in 28 areas for June-September. Cases when the Russian tourist flow showed negative dynamics are rare. Thus, the number of Russians who visited Finland in June decreased by 16%, to 27.8 thousand people, Malta in the same June - by 10%, to 4.4 thousand people, and Singapore in August - by 3%, up to 3.5 thousand people. But in other months, all these countries recorded an increase, so overall the overall trend remains positive. And only in the most exotic destinations - the Seychelles and French Polynesia - a decrease in tourist flow was observed for several months. However, here we must take into account the fact that the number of Russian tourists in French Polynesia is calculated in very small quantities - only a few dozen people.

In the summer of Turkey, there is no destination equal in importance, as statistics clearly demonstrate. In June-August, more than half a million Russians vacation in this country every month, according to the materials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of this country. The statistical service of Egypt, another very popular destination, did not provide its information to Kommersant this time, but from its previous reports it follows that in March-April 303-321.5 thousand Russians vacationed in Egypt every month, but already in May the tourist flow was 233.5 thousand people. It should be even lower in the summer months due to hotter weather. All other directions lag behind Turkey by at least an order of magnitude.

The perception of August as the culmination of the summer season is a misconception, as follows from the collected data. More Russians vacation in Turkey in June than in the last summer month: 578.5 thousand versus 547 thousand people. There is no such thing as a “high season” anymore; demand is very uniform across all months, agrees Anna Podgornaya, general manager of the tour operator Pegas Touristik. An approximately equal ratio of vacationers in June and August is observed in such beach destinations as Spain, Cyprus and Tunisia. But in Montenegro and Croatia, the tourist flow in June is not comparable with the figures in July-August, which is due to the climatic characteristics of the Adriatic: the sea there warms up only by July. In Bulgaria, the clear peak occurs in July, and in Greece, judging by this year’s data, in August.

Despite the growth in tourist traffic, tour operators themselves assessed the current season as difficult back in the summer: due to increased competition, the already low profitability of the business has decreased (see Kommersant on August 17). The assessments at the end of the season did not change either. Thus, according to reports from the industry publication Tourexpi, the chairman of the board of the Turkish OTI Holding (represented in Russia, in particular, by the tour operator Coral Travel) Ayhan Bektas was forced to admit that the company closed the season “to its own detriment.” According to Mr. Bektas, all Turkish operators operating in the Russian market recorded losses. Anna Podgornaya does not agree with this statement, but admits that for her company the summer season of 2009 was more successful than the one that just ended. Of the European destinations last summer, due to the unjustified ambitions of operators, Greece and Bulgaria were very “burnt”; accordingly, few there were also able to gain profit, states Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

In the niche segment, the World Cup in South Africa could have become a notable event, but still did not. Statistics from this country show that in June-July, when the championship was underway, the flow of tourists from Russia increased two and a half times, although in May the increase was only 18%, and in August - 64%. But in absolute terms, these numbers are small - only 1.2-1.4 thousand people, notes UTS Travel CEO Alexey Krylov. He also recalls that such events are traditionally attended by a large army of sports officials, journalists, and sponsors, whom statistics have recorded. “The surge of interest in the football world championship that was, for example, in 2002 at the games in South Korea and Japan, did not happen this time,” admits Mr. Krylov. “We earned practically nothing at the championship in South Africa.”

Two years ago, the Russian national football team performed sensationally at Euro 2008, which took place in June-July in Austria and Switzerland. Austrian statistics show that the Russian tourist flow to this country in June (when Guus Hiddink’s team played in its group) tripled, to 30.2 thousand people. In July, when the Russian team unexpectedly reached the quarter- and semi-finals, the increase was only 61%, to 19.8 thousand people. In Switzerland in those months, the tourist flow increased only by 13-29%, to 9.9-10.2 thousand Russians. True, here we must remember that for the duration of Euro 2008, the borders were open between Austria and Switzerland, which was not yet part of Schengen.

Sergey Sobolev

Tourist flows increased seasonally