Russian outbound tour sales drop 30%

© изображение сгенерировал ИИ

The conflict in the Middle East has led to a decline in sales of all organized international tours on the Russian tourism market. The drop is attributed to both the reduction in available transit hubs and the increase in flight costs, according to industry participants cited by Kommersant.

Since early March, sales of organized tours abroad have dropped by 30% week-on-week and by 22% year-on-year across all destinations.

Due to military actions by the US and Israel against Iran, major airports in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, and other countries have been closed. Industry participants note a reduction in overall bookings in the Middle Eastern market, where the period from March to May is typically high season. Losses are also being recorded on routes where Russian tourists previously traveled via the Middle East. Flights with carriers such as Air Arabia, Flydubai, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad were used to reach Zanzibar, the Seychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Egypt. Flights through the Middle East were previously 1.5 to 2 times cheaper for tourists.

Travelers and tour operators have yet to find alternative flight options. Various connection options are being considered, such as flights with Indian carrier IndiGo and budget Turkish airlines Pegasus and AJet. However, due to the limited number of carriers, flight costs have increased. According to tour operators, fares are being revised upwards every few hours.