From Murmansk to Baikal: how the tourist industry of Russia from coronavirus will suffer

The Russian government suspended visa -free tourist trips of the Chinese to Russia. China forbade its citizens to buy tours abroad. The Chinese were leaders in spending among foreign tourists coming to Russia. The director of the Mir without Borders association, Alexander Agamov, told MBH Media how it will affect the Russian tourism industry.

“Now there is no tourist stream. The last groups are already leaving. It will be when the epidemic retreats, and the authorities of both countries will remove the restrictive rules, ”said Agamov.

The surviving Aeroflot flights from the largest cities in China will not help to support the tourist flow, he said: “In the case of China, it will be organized by travel agencies. Both countries have prohibitions. The flow of single tourists is always insignificant, but now it is most likely not at all. ”

“If the prohibitions due to coronavirus are preserved during the first half of the year, then the losses will suffer all those who participate in the hospitality chain-hotels, museums-4-5 museums during their stay in Russia, they visit, tour operators, retail-shopping from the Chinese is very developed, general feeding,” said Agamov. - If we talk about the period until April, the losses will be painful, but not dramatic, because it is a low season for tourism as a whole. It will be worse if the tourist flow does not resume in the summer. At this time, the Chinese are most in Russia. Losses will increase multiple. "

To evaluate the losses of Agamov, offers to turn to the statistics of the Central Bank, which estimated the costs of the Chinese in Russia in the first quarter of 2019 at $ 262 million. “During this period, about 130 thousand Chinese arrives, in general, 1.5 million in a year, so the failure of the first quarter can be compensated for a year if the borders are opened in April,” said Agamov.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the tourist flow is more diversified, so the Irkutsk region-Baikal, as well as Murmansk, will suffer the most strongly. “Murmansk will even suffer the most, because in the winter they go there for the sake of the northern lights. And Baikal can compensate for the flow in the summer, ”Agamov explained.

There may be bankruptcy of individual travel companies if the flow does not resume in the summer. “Business is suffering. In companies that worked mainly for the Chinese and did not diversify the markets, the most difficult situation. Those who can find other tourists will survive. But simple in the first quarter is still not the time that will break them, ”said Agamov.

There are no panic among the tourism industry workers due to fear of infecting the virus. “China will undertake over the epidemic to overcome the epidemic, because it affects the Chinese economy,” Agamov is sure.