Sales of flight tickets abroad from Russia back to the level of 2014

Sales of flight tickets to international destinations in Russia have dramatically dropped last winter due to the depreciation of the ruble against the dollar and the euro. But after strengthening of the Russian national currency, the sales are going back to the level of 2014, according to the study conducted by online market DaTravel.com.

"In the last quarter of 2014 - early 2015, due to the fall of the ruble, the demand in Russia for foreign destinations significantly decreased. Our online service noted a drop in demand for the most popular destinations in Europe, an average by 27.5%. In connection with strengthening of the ruble since April, sales of flight tickets start to show significant growth and gradually approach the level of 2014," CEO of DaTravel.com Vladislav Shevtsov said.

At the same time, despite the increase in demand, the depth of bookings in April 2015 for summer dates has declined by almost a month compared with the same period of the last year and amounted to 83 days, while in April 2014 trips were booked an average four months before departure . "This means that, despite the growth of the ruble, Russian tourists are very cautious while planning their summer vacation, looking for further strengthening of the ruble," Vladislav Shevtsov added.

The average cost of a round trip ticket, booked for summer dated, is 15.700 rubles (about 260 €), which is 2.4% less than the average order value for the same period of last year when the booking was made for an average 16.100 rubles (about 270 €). Reducing the cost of an average check experts of DaTravel.com explained by the fact that Russians start flying with budget airlines and selecting connecting flights. In total, the number of purchased connecting flights to international destinations for this summer increased by 7% compared to the same period of the last year. Last year, the proportion of connecting flights in the structure of summer sales in DaTravel.com was 9%, in 2015 it is already 16%.

The leader among the international destinations for the summer in 2015 is Prague, followed by New York, Tivat, Madrid, Istanbul, Amsterdam, and Barcelona, who are in top list of popular flight destinations. In 2014, the ranking was the following: Amsterdam, Prague, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Berlin, and Milan.

The main "outsiders" of this summer are Rome, Paris, and Milan, since sales to these destinations for the summer in 2015 on DaTravel.com decreased by 80% compared to the sales for the same period in 2014.

The duration of summer holidays abroad in 2015 also decreased in comparison to the previous year and amounted to 12 days. Last year, the average length of a trip booked for summer period was 17 days.