Astravel and Paks Merger
Two well-known Russian tour operators Astravel and Paks announced a merger, their aim is to create a large multi-destination tour operator. Both companies have been established for almost 20 years and are well known brands which they plan to keep. Paks is traditionally strong in selling Thailand, Croatia and Montenegro, while Astravel is an expert in South East Asia. By merging the two companies hope to be able to survive the increasingly cut-throat environment which most Russian tour operators find themselves in.
Decrease for Egypt
Russian tour operators selling Egypt report a 20% decline in demand for the New Year holiday requests, this is probably due to the unstable political situation in this country and Middle East in general, as well as the latest unrest in Cairo. Tez Tour reported a 25% decrease in demand and Intourist noted a 30% decrease. However, another key player for Egypt, Pegas Touristik, does not plan to reduce the no. of charters planned for Hurgada and Sharm el Sheikh this winter. Anex Tour has changed its focus from Egypt which previously grew by 15-20% annually and has decided to focus more on Thailand and the UAE.