Market News

 

Where Russians Can Afford to Travel in 2009?

One of the most popular Russian travel sites, www.tourdaily.ru, held a survey asking its users which destinations they can afford to visit in 2009 taking into consideration the current economic downturn. While the majority (24%) mentioned that they will continue to travel to Egypt and Turkey, the main destinations for the Russian mass market, another 22% said they won't be able to afford to go on a holiday abroad this year. 16% still intend to go to Europe and 7% to Asia while still 8% can afford to visit an exotic island, which suggests that the high end of the market is less affected than the mass market.

Source: www.tourdaily.com, February 2009

At the same time, Russian Public Opinion Research Center held another pan-Russia survey, with the aim of establishing how Russians will spend their money during 2009. Travel still came out in the top 3 spend categories, as following:

TMI Focus Groups Confirm Russians with Jobs Will Continue to Travel

In some recently organized focus groups by TMI Consultancy, which aimed to assess the affect of the economic down turn on the upper middle class travel habits, the following information was obtained.  Apart from one participant, who was a fan of charter flights, most of the focus group mentioned that they would still fly with regular airlines, even if it was more expensive. They would continue to travel, as they work hard and need to rest but the frequency might drop from 3-4 times a year to 2-3 times a year. They would not compromise on the level of accommodation, so if they mainly stayed in 5* hotels they would continue to use this level, but they would go for a short of period of time, in order to reduce the costs. Finally those who manage to keep their jobs noted that would be under greater pressure to perform and therefore holidays would be essential part of the de-stress process. Participants had an average income of at least 3,000$ and had travelled extensively.

Cruise and Yachting Market: No Drop in Demand

In a recent interview with the heads of leading Russian cruise companies, all companies selling cruises, confirmed the information received by TMI during a series of focus groups about travel amongst the upper middle class. All companies reacted in a positive way to the present economic downturn, saying that the cruise market remains in demand. They explained that this was a niche FIT market which seems to be one of the least affected, as the clientele in this sector are financially stable and unlikely to change their travel habits in the short term. They also noted a good demand for yachting and diving tours, saying that these activities are more than just a sport but a lifestyle for their clients. According to the Russian agents, the most popular diving destinations for Russians are: Cuba, the Maldives, Egypt and the Red Sea area, while yachting fans prefer the Seychelles, Thailand or Fiji during winter and the Mediterranean Sea during the summer. The main summer destinations for yachting are Turkey, Greece and Croatia. About 20% of Russians chose Sicily and Sardinia in Italy, and about 5% - Cote d'Azur in France.