Irina Sizova
especially for EcoTourism Expert 
The annual volume of the event tourism in Russia is currently estimated at five trillion roubles. This was reported by experts who discussed the development of this important segment of the travel industry and the expectations at the press conference in Sochi. According to them, each rouble brings five or six additional roubles in related industries.
According to Yuri Barzykin, Chairman of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Committee on Tourism Entrepreneurship, in the last two years, the trend has been the dynamic recovery and development of domestic tourist flow, the emerging new destinations in the outbound tourism market and the creation of prerequisites for the inbound tourism development.
He clarified that in 2022, the domestic tourist flow amounted to 62 mn people, which was eight percent more than in the previous year. At the same time, in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the domestic tourist flow amounted to 65 mn people. Last year, Sochi alone was visited by more than 7 mn people and over 16.5 mn tourists visited the Krasnodar Territory. This year, even given the large base, a moderate growth in the domestic tourist flow is expected. Today, tour operators report that 50 percent of the Sochi’s health resorts are booked for July. Sales rates show that more than 80 percent of the Russians choose spending their vacations within their country. In the pre-Covid times, this figure was 69 percent, he said.
Bazykin also said that the diversification of destinations and types of tourism are among the trends in the development of the tourism industry. Since last year, more than one and a half thousand river cruise routes have been operating in the country, 25 tourist trains have been running, and 15 charter programmes have been offered. The disruption of logistics and the closure of 11 airports in the south of the country significantly hampered the development of the domestic tourism, including the event tourism.
According to experts, ethnotourism has been one of the most popular segments in recent years. So, there is a national 500-km long tourist route in the Kuban area called “Wine Routes of the Krasnodar Territory”. It embraces over 220 wineries, restaurants offering delicious chef’s specialties, and historical attractions, where tourists can learn everything about the region’s culture and gastronomic special features. In 2023, the “Black Sea Wine Week” will be held in the region that will attract new tourists to the Kuban area.
In turn, Dmitry Barashkov, Rosa Khutor’s Marketing Director, noted that the event tourism programmes make it possible to compensate for a seasonal character of the resort and help to attract many visitors in the off-season. The event tourism helps to increase the tourist flow to the mountain resort in the summer, too. So, in May, the famous “RosaRun” run race will be held at the Rosa Khutor resort, and in the summer, their guests can enjoy skiing down the snowy mountain slopes in the warm “Hot Snow Battle” beach area, and the “Wild Trail” mountain running competition will be held at the end of the warm season.
According to Barashkov, one of the paradoxical trends in the tourism industry today is a small booking ‘window’. If earlier, tourists planned their vacation three or four months in advance, they do it at the last moment now - just one or two weeks in advance. This is due to a certain instability. At the same time, travellers can get the best prices when they book much in advance, so the expert advises to take care of summer bookings in advance.
