As tourism industry is experiencing frustration on the Turkish beaches
The news of the restoration of Russian-Turkish relations was met with optimism — the tour operators and agents have big plans for growth in sales once the most popular resorts. However, recent geopolitical events have forced to forget about these hopes for an indefinite period.
The closure of Turkey in November last year, and seven-month-old embargo on the sale of tours in this country, the most popular among Russians, has been hard on the tourism industry. Shortly before it was discontinued flights to Egypt, which was in great demand even in a crisis. In two of these areas in total have flown about 6 million tourists a year.
According to the head of the project “Rambler/Travel” Alena Koryakin, General business closure of the Turkish areas affected stronger than that of Egypt, because there has historically rested more customers. But sales of packages to Egypt fell in the beginning of the winter season, when a lot of vouchers have been sold. For most businesses, which directly flew into the losses and did not have time to reorient themselves to other directions, it was a disaster. “Due to the lack of inexpensive alternatives in winter beach holiday sales in the winter period declined by almost a quarter, and in the regions — and sometimes at 60-70%,” — said Director of marketing network of travel agencies “1001 Tour” Marina Konobeevo.
“The operators had to reallocate capacity to other countries, but it wasn’t easy,” continues co-founder Level.Travel Ellin Tolstov. According to him, if Turkey and Egypt were sold on the “flow” that other areas were less run-in. They are worse and longer confirmed, part of the business processes associated with travel arrangements, it was raw. All this has created an additional burden, in terms of service and, however, increased the cost of attracting customers.
Market players supported the growth of domestic demand for tourism, which until recently no one seriously considered for organized trips. According to Konobeevo, now in travel agencies, one third is sold the permit is holiday in Russia. “Until Turkey and Egypt the least sales was in Russia, as there were no charters, the percentage of return customers was quite low (the number of re-visitors — approx. “Of the tape.<url>”), and labor costs for making the tour to us the sea was stunningly high,” — said the head of sales tours tutu.<url>,” Maria Chupina.
This year to work with inner direction was the only necessary and at the expense of the Charter is easier, she adds. However, to fully replace the loss failed due to low margin sales of hotels are reluctant to discount, and difficulties in organizing the logistics on domestic routes. In addition, many compatriots, as before, prefer to move on the Russian expanses on their own.
Photo: Murad Sezer / Reuters
New hope
“As much as we all screamed for joy, because the objective of Turkey is not enough in the Russian market”, — the press Secretary of the Russian Union of travel industry Irina Turina described the reaction of the tourist industry in the news about the resumption of contacts between the authorities of Turkey and Russia in the end of June. According to her, all the tourists and the Agency is suffering from a lack of the range of proposals in this country: the ratio of “price-quality” and level of service no other directions are unable to replace Turkish.
Industry participants expect at least a partial recovery of the market. The airline increased its number of scheduled flights to the Turkish capital and at resorts, operators quickly formed packages. According to “Vedomosti”, the sales of tours with regular flights began “Biblio Globus”, Pegas Touristik” and “TEZ tour and Coral Travel was supposed to join them on July 19.
Turkey immediately took about 15 percent of sales of tour operators, says Executive Director ATOR Maya Lomidze. “After the reports about the opening of Turkey we recorded a few days the excessive demand for this direction, and the split of sales 10 percent of the bookings these days had in that country,” — said the Tape.<url>” Konobeev. But everyone was waiting for the lifting of the ban on Charter flights is supposed to significantly reduce the cost of permits, 25-30 percent.
Photo: Ilya Pitalev / RIA Novosti
“For the remainder of the summer season (from August to mid-October) you can expect that in the Turkish resorts will have time to relax, about 300 thousand Russians,” — says in the end of last week the managing partner of KirikovGroup Daniil Kirikov. According to Marina Konobeevo, speech could go and about 700 thousand tourists. The performance, of course, not the biggest — in 2015 year, Turkey was visited by 3.5 million citizens of Russia. Go back to last summer, operators and agencies, of course, failed, but there would be good prospects for the revival of business in the future. Full-fledged reconstruction demand, especially from regions where there are strong anti-Turkish sentiment, expected next year.
Again, staying for the winter
But last weekend has made adjustments to these plans. After the military coup in Turkey, the transport Ministry has temporarily suspended sending of Russian aircraft in that direction. Many airlines canceled flights, and only “Aeroflot”, carrying out instructions of President Vladimir Putin, exports of Russians from the Republic.
Operators have at their own expense to place them in local hotels tourists who could not fly. Those who have already bought a tour in the near future, I propose to issue a refund or wait for the situation to change, but leave many clients tied to specific dates. Ability to rebook a trip to other countries not in the peak period to find something adequate is impossible, all the seats purchased.
In the end, operators who have already invested in the formation of tour packages in Turkey, waiting for new loss and loss — liabilities to customers the money you have to pay without penalties. Sale of tours to Turkey is stopped. “There are reservations, but the money of the company not taken to avoid contact then with the returns,” — said Irina Tyurina of the Tape.<url>. “We have no right to sell anything, because now, in principle, no tickets,” adds the Director of the sales Department of the service Level.Travel Olga Anisko.
Photo: Marius Becker / DPA / Globallookpress.com
On the one hand, how long it will last depends on how quickly dealt with the situation in the Republic of Turkey. But operators have no illusions — this season, which will decline from the beginning of September, Turkey can not count. The resumption of Charter programs, which had been waiting for tour operators, will not happen even in the medium term.
According to the representative of one of the major tour operators, their contribution to the mood planning a holiday among the Russians made and tragedy in nice. On the one hand, customers refuse tours to the Cote d’azur, but the terrorist threat affects and other European destinations, said the source.<url>. Many of those who gathered together yesterday to spend vacation abroad, took a wait — trips are becoming less safe.
Hope for a speedy recovery of the market, endlessly suffering from different kinds of shocks less and less. In General, the market the number of tourists abroad by the end of 2016 will be reduced by at least 20 percent compared to the year 2015, says Daniil Kirikov (in 2015, the exit flow was reduced by a third compared to 2014). The number of companies in the industry has been steadily declining — the first distress a small company and Agency network. “Of the operators, as far as I know, no one went bankrupt, but many agencies, small businesses closed down. In fact, they were kicked out of the market”, — stated the Level of Tolstoy.Travel.
In 2015, the market is left almost 70 percent of travel agents working for field directions, and this trend continued in the first half of 2016, when it closed several dozen businesses — mostly in the regions. The outflow will continue, experts say, while the economic situation in the country improves and recovers the tourist flow abroad. But major bankruptcies no waiting — experienced operators learned quickly to realign the business processes and to compensate losses at the expense of other areas.
