Market News
Turkey expects at least 3.5 million Russians to visit in 2011
According to the Turkish Tourism office, 3.2 million Russians visited Turkey in 2010, which was a 15% increase compared to 2009. This makes Russia second most important source market after Germany, which sends 4.5 million tourists per year to Turkey. One of the main reasons for such a growth is the increase of flights from regional cities in Russia during the high season. There were up to 80 flights per week to Turkey from different Russian cities in the peak of the summer in 2010.
Record visits from Russia to Finland
According to the Finland Tourism Board, over 120,000 Russians visited Finland during the New Year Holidays, which is normally from January 1st to 10th. This is a record number, which beats the 2008 record, when 100,000 Russians celebrated the New Year in Finland. To meet the demand, 35 additional railway trains were launched for the holiday period to transport the tourists from Moscow and St-Petersburg to Helsinki.
USA expects more Russians
Visit USA expects 20,000 more Russians to have visited the US in 2010 compared to 2009. In 2009, 146,000 Russians went to the US, according to American statistics, and it forecasts 168,000 for 2010. The traffic increase is partly due to the increase of flights between Russia by United Airlines (Moscow to Washington), as well as the new Transaero flights from Moscow to New York and Miami. According to Visit USA, the most popular destinations for Russians are: New York, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago and Colorado for skiing.
Russia is the fastest-growing market for Hong Kong
Hong Kong Tourism Board reports a 102% increase of arrivals from Russia in 2010 compared to 2009, with a total of 86,800 visitors in absolute figures. Hong Kong became a visa free destination for Russians in June 2009, which triggered a substantial increase in tourism traffic from Russia. Another key factor was the increase in the no. of direct flights between Moscow and Hong Kong from summer 2010, including the entry of national flag carrier Cathay Pacific to the Russian market.
Record growth for Yekaterinburg outbound travel
In 2010, the no. of tourists from Yekaterinburg region increased by almost 150%, which in absolute figures is around 2.8 million people, also more than in the 2008 that is considered a benchmark year for Russian outbound tourism. The statistics comes from the administration of Koltsovo Airport in Ekaterinburg. In 2010. 6 new international direct flights were launched from Ekaterinburg to Barcelona, Rome, Rimini, Sophia in Bulgaria, Sanya in China and Hanoi in Vietnam, with 5 new airlines entering the market.
Pac Group to set its own retail chain
Pac Group will set up its own retail chain of travel agencies in 2011. This will be managed by Ruben Acosta who previously worked as Retail Director for VKO Club and Natalie Tours. This will allow Pac Group to work with end-consumers, and also to have a direct presence in the key regional cities of Russia. Pac Group is one of the market leaders for Italy and is listed amongst the Top 10 tour operators in Russia.
Coral Travel will have its own air planes
Coral Travel, one of the leading Russian tour operators selling Turkey and Egypt, plans to set up its own air fleet in 2011. The company plans to have 3 Airbuses A-320 by the summer of 2011 to carry clients to Turkey and Egypt, focusing on the regional cities. In the last two years, other key market players like Tez Tour, Pegas Touristik and Anex Tour, have also established their own or affiliated air fleets.