Tour operators do not expect growth in demand for outbound tourism

“In the coming months the demand for organized outgoing tourism will not grow due to the weakening of the ruble and high prices for tours,” says the CEO of Inturist, Viktor Tolpokaraev. “We should not expect an increase in demand for trips of organized tourists from Russia abroad due to the weakening of the ruble and higher prices for tours. In addition, tour operators are actually sponsoring abroad trips for Russians,” he said at the III All-Russian Congress of Tour Operators and Travel Agents. According to V. Tolpokaraev, tour operators raise prices for foreign tours by only 4-5%, while in fact the cost would have to grow by 20%. "This is due to the weakening of ruble against other currencies, and the relatively high cost for accommodation offered to us at abroad resorts, and an increasing of fuel prices, which provides a rise in price of air tickets," he explained. Previously, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), Maya Lomidze, said that against the background of degrading of financial and economic situation in the country, the tourists' purchase power decreased - travelers chose tours abroad with shorter duration, cheaper hotels, refused from additional services on the ground. According to Rosstat, in the third quarter of 2018 the growth in demand for tours abroad was lower than in the first two quarters.