The Russian Ministry of Economic Development, in collaboration with MTS Travel and Bronevik.com, has revealed the top destinations for domestic tourists during the off-season (mid-September to late November). Arkhyz, Sheregesh, and Zelenogradsk emerged as the fastest-growing destinations.
"The largest increase in bookings—threefold—this autumn was demonstrated by the settlement of Arkhyz, located in the mountains of Karachay-Cherkessia, where a significant part of tourists visiting the all-season resort of the same name stay. Arkhyz is also visited by tourists traveling to other resorts of the North Caucasus, including Dombay and the Caucasian Mineral Waters," reads a statement on the Ministry of Economic Development's website.
Following Arkhyz in terms of the growth of tourist accommodation bookings in the off-season are the resort of Sheregesh in Kuzbass and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region—the number of bookings there has more than doubled compared to last autumn. Zelenogradsk is in demand among travelers year-round, while Sheregesh is one of the first ski resorts in the country to open the ski season—in mid-November.
In addition, tourists chose popular destinations for the "velvet season" for autumn trips—the resorts of Krasnodar Krai, Sochi, and Gelendzhik. The number of hotel bookings in these cities has more than doubled year-on-year.
The top 10 also included Rostov Veliky, Kislovodsk, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, and Pskov.
Overall, the number of hotel bookings in the country increased by a third in the autumn.
The authors of the study suggested that the significant increase in tourist flow in a number of tourist locations may be due to a growing trend towards short trips, including weekend getaways.
As Georgy Grush, Director of the Department for the Implementation of Tourism Projects at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, noted, the ministry has recorded a significant increase in the number of trips during the off-season. Moreover, good results were observed throughout the autumn.
"In the off-season, travelers are primarily attracted by a larger number of offers and greater availability of tourist services. At the same time, large resorts are focusing on year-round operation and holding many events. The geography of trips is also growing. Tourists choose not only the traditionally popular Krasnodar Krai, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, but also resorts in the North Caucasus, Kaliningrad region, and Siberia," Grush's words are quoted in the message.
Overall, according to the ministry, the leaders in terms of the number of bookings in the autumn remain Moscow (17% of all bookings) and St. Petersburg (8%). In third place is the Greater Sochi agglomeration—it accounted for 6% of the total number of bookings.
Blogs
