For as long as I can remember, after returning from another trip, my friends always interrogate me - how much do you get, where do you work, do you have any other vacancies? The guys say that at best they manage to escape somewhere once a year for 2-3 weeks, and they don’t understand how I can travel so often. Where to get time and money?

I have been traveling since 2005. At first he traveled around Russia, the CIS countries and the Crimea. After a couple of years, the number of trips per year was at least 5-7 and was constantly increasing. I traveled around cities and countries, sometimes with some friends, sometimes with others, I even traveled alone several times.

My friends always joked that I must be the CEO of Gazprom if I can afford to travel so often. For example, they saw that in the winter I went to St. Petersburg, in the spring to Egypt, Kyiv and Rostov, in the summer I already visited Sevastopol 2 times. Then we met Katya, I told her my “secrets” and we began to travel even more actively. The next summer we visited Mexico, in the autumn the Emirates and Cyprus, New Year celebrated in Egypt, in the spring we went to India and Vietnam ...

We looked at 6 countries in 1 year, not counting trips around Russia. At the same time, we both worked in the office and received 30 thousand rubles each.

Where does the money come from? How much do you earn?? Is it possible to get a job in your company for the same position? I've been hearing questions like this for years now. And when Katya and I left for, my friends immediately realized that I was the owner of an oil well

Isn't traveling expensive?

Believe it or not, most people still think that traveling is very expensive. Only wealthy people can afford to go abroad or to Crimea several times a year. They simply do not believe you when you say that you work at the most ordinary job, and not in the State Duma, and they pay you an average salary there, no more than others. Also, no one believes that a ticket to Egypt can be bought for $ 500, they do not believe that we spend less in a month in Thailand or Sri Lanka than an ordinary tourist spends in a week. Where do such prejudices come from?

Egypt, Luxor

For example, remember which travel agency you asked about a trip to Egypt when you were charged $700 for a 3-star hotel without meals? Probably, you went to the shopping center and asked at the office of some well-known large travel agency. I don't know why these firms so brazenly increase prices by 3 times, but a ticket to such a hotel costs a maximum of 200 bucks.

A friend of mine told me how she had a wonderful vacation in Turkey in a five-star all-inclusive hotel and paid $ 1200 per person for everything ... I always want to ask these people, well, where do you find such high prices ?? Do you specifically go to travel agencies and buy a tour where it is most expensive? I do not understand how it was possible to lay out a piece of bucks for Turkey. A ticket to any 5-star hotel in Turkey costs a maximum of $500-700.

When we set our sights on Mexico, I went into one of the offices of a well-known travel agency. I remember that I was then charged $4,500 per person. At the same time, they said that it low price, as it goes early booking half a year ahead. They also added that Mexico is a wonderful country and you definitely need to save money for it. I could hardly contain my laughter. The next day we bought tours from another travel agency for $1,300 per person, and a week later we were already in Cancun.

Mexico, Cancun

Why did I write these examples? In all cases, it can be seen that people do not know the real cost of vouchers and have no idea where to buy them. We will talk about this a little later, but now let's talk about the most important thing, about money.

Where can I order a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
Ordered a taxi online, paid by card. We were greeted at the airport with a sign with our name on it. We were taken to the hotel in a comfortable car. You have already talked about your experience in this article

Where to get money for travel

"Wow! You were in Mexico! Lucky ones! I will never save up for this country!” - said one of my friends and took out his latest iPhone to show pictures of the new car ...

Try to stop mindless consumption first.

Now we all live in an era of consumption of material goods. It is worth turning on the radio or TV, as soon as a flurry of advertising falls on you.

Gadgets

Buy a new seven-core tablet! Unprecedented discounts on smartphones until the end of summer! Buy an iPhone now with a discount of 199 rubles! New laptop for the new school year! Widescreen curved TV for only 99 thousand rubles! Hurry! Hurry up! Buy all this high-tech junk!…

Consider every new gadget is a minus one trip. You think, well, okay, now I’ll buy myself a new smartphone and I’ll definitely rest on my next vacation. And next time there will be something new. The new lenovo yoga tablet is half an inch wider than yours and only 19.990! You have to take it, the journey will have to wait...

Think about why you really need a new smartphone? You bought yours half a year ago. Anyway, you will not use anything except the function of the phone, sms, music, selfie camera and a couple of applications, such as VKontakte and Instagram ...

Coffee houses and sushi bars

Now all sorts of sushi bars, coffee houses, restaurants are in fashion - how often do you visit such establishments? 5 times a month, right? Each visit costs at least 1000 rubles. Do not go to such cafes for only a month and you will already free up 5 thousand rubles. Multiply by the number of warm months in a year. It turns out that if at least in the spring and summer to meet friends in nature, and not in bars, then you can save the cost of the whole trip!

When you travel, you go to restaurants every day just to eat.

I personally do not experience any aesthetic pleasure from going to restaurants. I only go to these establishments. intended purpose When you are hungry and need to eat. Also in the cold season we meet with friends in bars. Another point that makes me feel uncomfortable in a cafe is the realization that their kitchen is a mess, unsanitary and expired products. By the way, this year on TV there was one program that confirmed my guesses.

Unnecessary clothes

How many unwanted clothes do you have and where did you buy them? Do not answer, probably in some mall. But this is normal, not to buy in the market. The question is rather how much you have already bought extra clothes that you have never worn or only worn a couple of times in all the time. Why were these clothes bought? Most of the things were bought "from nothing to do", because "I want some new things."

“Shopping is the best cure for stress” – this is how they assure us from the TV screen, although this statement is absolutely unfounded, but it is simply very beneficial for some people. Overcome the shopaholism in yourself and even more money will be released for travel!

I don't think I suffer from shopaholism. I have been wearing almost all of my clothes for several years and until there is a desire to replace them. And why, if the thing still retains its properties, has not been torn, has not faded. For example, I have shorts that I bought in Thailand in 2011 for 300 baht. Our regular readers must have noticed that I am in all the pictures in the same shorts.

Furniture, repair and cottage

Repair and dacha are two breakthroughs through which your money has been flowing for years. Tell me, do you often go to the famous Swedish furniture store? Have you ever wondered if you really need these fragrant thick candles or this blanket with an unpronounceable name? Do you really believe that this unpainted rack for 4990 is so necessary for you at the dacha?

Part 2 Coming soon on the blog!

I have given you a few things to think about where you can get money for travel if you are conscious about your expenses and lifestyle. Because, as it usually happens, we earn something from our work, but there is never any money, there is nothing to save. Reread these options again and think about what can be reduced or eliminated. If you're considering taking out a loan for a new TV, don't. Finally stop investing in a car and a summer house.

In the second part of the article, I will talk about practical examples of how to find time to travel if you work in an office as a hired worker 5 days a week, where to buy tickets and not overpay, what you can save on when traveling so that more money is left for excursions and many more useful things.

In order not to miss the second part of the article - subscribe to blog updates

That's all for today. Thank you for your attention! I hope I was able to convey my idea to you and helped you learn something new. Although, I didn’t say anything particularly new, all this is already known to many. If there is something to add, something is not clear or you do not agree with some statements, write your questions in the comments.

The average duration of tourist trips in the world has decreased and now stands at eight nights. The average cost per trip is $1,793. However, Russians prefer to prolong their pleasure and travel for an average of ten days.

Visa has presented another global study of travel preferences Visa Global Travel Intentions Study based on the results of 2017. The study analyzed international travel trends and preferences of over 15,000 people from 27 countries.

Main conclusions:

• Trips are getting shorter, averaging eight nights, two days less than in 2013.
• More often, only one country is visited per trip.
• Travel is increasingly using technology (Internet, navigators, mobile maps, searching for fellow travelers, etc.).

The list of the most visited countries in 2017 was topped by Japan, the USA and Australia. Japan has taken the lead due to its popularity among tourists from the Asia-Pacific region. The inhabitants of this region love to travel and there are more of them than in other regions of the world. Therefore, these preferences determined the leader of the rating.

The study also revealed what is important for tourists from different regions. For example, Europeans want to enrich themselves culturally and hope to good weather. Americans need leisure and cultural events. For tourists from the Asia-Pacific region, it is important that the destination is easy to get to and that it is familiar. Representatives of the Middle East and Africa are interested in active recreation and are concerned about the budget of the trip.

On average, tourists spend $1,793 per trip per person, and most take $778 in cash with them.

Tourists from Saudi Arabia ($5,333), Kuwait ($3,143), China ($2,988), Australia ($2,745) and the United Arab Emirates ($2,722) spend the most on travel.

The preferences of the Russians who took part in the study differ significantly from the global average. So, they travel 4.3 times a year (the world average is 2.5 trips per year). The average duration of one trip is ten days. This is longer than the global indicator, but one day less than Russians spent on one trip in 2015.

At the same time, the average Russian traveler spends $1676 per trip. Interestingly, in 2015 Russians spent much more - $2,730 per trip.

Most often, study participants from Russia visit Turkey, Thailand, Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic and Germany.

Mobile devices for Internet access abroad are used by 91% of Russians, which is more than the world average (88%), and significantly more than in Europe (78%). Interestingly, Russians use ATMs less frequently than Europeans (7% vs. 17%) while traveling, but withdraw more cash (on average $547 vs. $346).

According to Visa forecasts, in the next two years, people will travel more often, and the number of trips per year will increase from 2.5 to 2.7. They will also spend more - this indicator is expected to grow by 36.25%, to $ 2443, and for Russians - by 5%.

On the portal of the Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System (EMISS) of Russian citizens outside the country in 2017. The data in the system were provided by the FSB of the Russian Federation.

According to the FSB of the Russian Federation (its structure includes the Border Guard Service, which controls border crossings), . This is 24.13% more than in 2016, when our compatriots left Russia 33,827,420 times.

Of the total number of trips of Russians abroad, 31.87% fell on the "near abroad" - the CIS countries, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The leader here is Abkhazia with 4.358 million trips (+1.95% compared to 2016), but it is obvious that this figure includes the repeated movements of Abkhaz citizens with Russian passports, and it is extremely difficult to isolate the real tourist flow from it.

As for non-CIS destinations, it makes sense here again to focus on the total number of trips, and not on the number of trips for the purpose of the visit "tourism" - the methodology for identifying such a purpose of a visit to mass visa-free destinations is so incomprehensible.

TOP-20 EXIT DESTINATIONS "FAR" FOREIGN ABROAD IN 2017 At

In 2017, Russians made 28,604,030 trips to all non-CIS countries, which is 31.6% more than in 2016. The leaders of the TOP-20 (by the number of trips made in 2017 from Russia) were distributed as in Fig. one.

Rice. 1. TOP-20 outbound destinations by the number of trips of Russian citizens in 2017 (excluding the CIS countries, Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia)

Almost all countries from the TOP-20 showed an increase in the number of trips from Russia in 2018. Turkey became the leader in terms of growth in the number of trips - +553.2%. Its results are mainly due to the 2016 closed season.

After it, the best dynamics from the TOP-20 was demonstrated by the United United Arab Emirates: +53.7% compared to 2016. In third place is Vietnam with a 30.1% growth year-on-year, followed by the Czech Republic with a growth of 27.4% and Thailand with Italy (an increase of 25.6% and 25.5% respectively).

Almost all countries from the rest of the list showed double-digit growth in tourist traffic, with the exception of Cyprus (+6.25%) and Greece (+8.90%).

Three countries from the TOP-20 exit markets, according to the border service of the FSB of Russia, showed a negative trend in the number of trips in 2017 compared to the previous year: Lithuania (-6.85%), Bulgaria (-10.3%) and Tunisia (-16.9%).

Of the countries outside the TOP-20, the dynamics of several countries is interesting. Most top scores the Dominican Republic (it also has the second place in terms of the dynamics of arrivals in general list mass destinations, immediately after Turkey) - here, according to the FSB, the number Russian tourists increased by 73.13% (to a figure of 239,862 in 2017).

In Cuba, the number of arrivals from Russia in 2017 increased by 60.1% (82,919), in Jordan - by 56%, in Austria - by 34.9% (264,082 trips), in France - by 22% (up to 524 thousand), in South Korea- increased by 16% (279,133 trips), in India - by 29.1% (233,489 trips), in Malta - by 31% (14,240 trips).

Interestingly, despite all the visa difficulties, the outbound flow to the United States also increased (by 6.3%) (269,128 trips). Dramatically, by 129%, the outbound flow in Saudi Arabia, reaching a figure of 7745 people.

The completely unique “explosion” of the outbound flow from Russia to Tanzania is also curious: from 56 people in 2016 to 2345 in 2017 (an increase of 4187%). He explains simply - this year he opened direct charter flights to Tanzania (to Zanzibar).

In 2017, the tourist flow to Qatar also "grew" sharply - by 33%, to 87.5 thousand trips. This is explained in the same way as the very small, irrelevant figures of the tourist flow * (see explanation at the end of the article) in some long-haul destinations, such as the Seychelles, Malaysia or Sri Lanka. Since the border service keeps records on boarding passes, the statistics of Qatar (as well as partially, Singapore and, to a lesser extent, Korea) reflect the growth of flights to countries South-East Asia with connections at these points.

Of the TOP-30 countries in the red in terms of the dynamics of the tourist flow, except for Lithuania, Tunisia and Bulgaria, there were also Morocco (-39%, and this is the most serious decrease in the tourist flow from the entire list of countries with relevant statistics), Singapore (-10%), Denmark ( -7.3%) and Slovakia (-4%). All other foreign destinations from the TOP-30, judging by the statistics of the border service of the FSB of Russia, showed an increase in the number of Russian arrivals in 2017.

MAIN CLASSIC OUTGOING TOURISM COUNTRIES IN 2017

You can make one more cut - in the areas of classical tourism "for the purpose of recreation and excursions" (leisure). To do this, it will be necessary to exclude from the statistics foreign countries with a predominant share of cross-border movements for the purpose of shopping or other non-tourist purposes (China, Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia).

The TOP-20 of such countries in 2017 is shown below in Figure 2.

Fig.2. TOP-20 outbound destinations in 2017 ("classic tourism" for the purpose of recreation and cultural and educational purposes)

The number of trips (accurate to units) is only for 2017 (purple row).

EXPLANATION TO STATISTICS

* Recall that in 2014, Rosstat (EMISS coordinator), by order 510, introduced a new method for calculating the volume of tourist traffic, one of the features of which is that when crossing the border repeatedly, a citizen of Russia or any other country will be counted as many times as he did. “Therefore, tourist flows are measured not by the number of tourists, but by the number of trips,” the Rosstat document emphasized.

Border service statistics are relevant for counting the number of trips of Russians to mass outbound destinations in the "far" abroad for the purpose of recreation. The number of repeated trips per year by Russian citizens to here is not so large as to significantly distort the data on a number of foreign destinations in the far abroad in one direction or another. Nevertheless, in several areas, the discrepancy with foreign data on the number of Russian tourists in 2017 is significant, which is explained by different methods of accounting for trips).

It is also obvious that the data of the FSB border service, unfortunately, will not be relevant when counting the number of tourists traveling to border countries such as Finland, the Baltic states or Poland, partly to China, as well as to the CIS countries, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Obviously, here the proportion of multiple border crossings is much higher, since most of these crossings are done for the purposes of personal shopping or (as in the case of Ukraine and a number of other CIS countries) visiting relatives.

Also, such statistics are not suitable for accounting for trips of people traveling with transfers on many long-haul routes, incl. visa-free destinations (because here the main way to get into the country is air transport, and border guards analyze only boarding passes, which indicate not the final, but the intermediate destination). That is why, for example, the number of visits to the Seychelles, Mauritius, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and others, and so large - in such non-tourist states for Russia as Qatar, whose capital is a major transit air hub.

COMPLETE STATISTICS of the departure of citizens of the Russian Federation abroad from the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation for 2016-17. you can see .

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- Yury Aleksandrovich, last week you were present at the meeting dedicated to the development of tourism in Russia. According to the president, 80% of tour sales today are carried out through travel agencies. But have we not yet crossed the line when the tourist has become completely independent? When can he book a ticket for himself, and a hotel?

Indeed, today about 70-80% of tours are sold through tour operators. True, we are talking about tours abroad. In the domestic market, this figure is much lower, although this year and partly in the past it has changed. Sales volumes in the outbound market fell significantly (in some areas the decline was more than 50%), while in the domestic market, on the contrary, they increased: 30% in positive territory. And this is explained not only and not so much by patriotic sentiments, but by the economic situation in the country. As a result, a number of major tour operators that previously worked only for outbound travel (such as PEGAS Touristik, Biblio Globus, Coral Travel, ANEX Tour), entered the domestic market. The main thing that they brought by selling tours in Russia is, of course, the formation of package tours, which, in addition to accommodation, already include travel to the place of rest, transfer, and even excursions.

Vice-President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry Yuri Barzykin. Photo: Pavel Pelevin / website

- It turns out that traveling around Russia with a tour operator is now cheaper than on your own?

It turns out so. However, it is worth clarifying that we are talking more about mass destinations, and this is especially true of the Black Sea coast. Most Russians prefer beach holiday, and not being able to go abroad, people go to the Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory. If we are talking about these destinations, now package tours there are much cheaper. So, for example, a week of rest in some Sochi “three rubles” with breakfast and a flight can cost 17,500 rubles. A double room is 30,000. That is, these are absolutely competitive prices.

- Yes, but it's still a beach holiday. What about other areas?

Take Kazan – everything has been put on the right track there for a long time. Especially after the Universiade. What about Vladivostok and Russian Island? New projects are being launched in the North-West, which is represented not only by St. Petersburg. I recently returned from Perm and visited the Pskov region. The case moved off the ground. There are economy-class accommodation facilities and small hotels with ten to twenty rooms. Often this is a family business that is developing very well.

It turns out that it is now possible to relax inexpensively and in acceptable conditions only where, let's say, everything is small and cozy? And there is no point in renovating huge Soviet boarding houses in the same Crimea - will it still be more expensive?

Each case must be considered separately. Indeed, sometimes it makes no sense to renovate objects, and sometimes it does. There would be investors. Today, 99% of investors are private companies. And they will think a hundred times before investing money somewhere. And small accommodation facilities are always a quick payback. True, in a global sense, this is not a solution to the problem. After all, the payback of objects is achieved by their occupancy, and small accommodation facilities are still not enough for everyone. Therefore, if we are talking about the tourism industry as a whole, then we still cannot do without international hotel chains. They came to Sochi with difficulty, and now, look, Hyatt is there, and Swissotel, and Rixos. I am sure that over time it will be the same in Crimea.

Crimea. Evpatoria. Photo: Igor Stomakhin / website

- But while there is no corresponding infrastructure.

Exactly. What kind of investors can we talk about when there are problems even with parking lots for tourist buses? When there is no way to load tourists in an organized way, or unload them. And this, by the way, concerns not only the Crimea: in Moscow, for example, parking lots are determined every time with a fight. True, if earlier there were more and more conversations, now there has been a transition from words to action. The approach is changing, cities are changing. Tourism is good for that: it works both for those who live in these cities and for those who come to them.

A well-known travel blogger Sergey Dolya some time ago turned to his subscribers with a proposal to participate in the creation of a tourism logo for Russia. There is an opinion that at tourist exhibitions abroad, the Russian stand looks, as a rule, indistinctly. Say, it does not have a single idea and a single message. Can the diversity of our country be summed up in one idea? Or is it not even worth trying?

It's worth trying, of course. Closely engaged, I would say. As for exhibitions, it was before that we all stood apart: Moscow on its own, St. Petersburg on its own, Krasnodar region by itself. Now we are acting in a consolidated manner, and our stands look very worthy. And then, exhibitions are not only exhibitions themselves. This is a range of activities. And the programs that Russia presents at world tourism exhibitions - in London and Berlin, Tokyo and Shanghai - are always very popular. You are right, it is not easy to promote a brand because it is too many-sided and bright. But even those images that have already taken shape, such as matryoshka spoons, can be used wisely.

- Can anyone else be interested in this?

Russia is remarkable in that its tourism product for each market - Chinese, European or, for example, American - can look completely different. For example, for residents of China, which has now come out on top in terms of the number of tourists entering our country (Earlier the leadership belonged to Germany - ed.), “red tourism”, that is, everything connected with Lenin and the revolution, is extremely interesting. Europeans are more interested in nature and historical and cultural potential. For Koreans and Japanese, everything related to art and especially ballet is mandatory. Not so long ago, as part of the work of the PCT, new program- "Space Russia". A space flight will cost you $20 million or more. And in order to come to Moscow, Korolev and Kaluga and visit the planetarium, our institutes and museums of cosmonautics, you don’t need much money, especially considering the current exchange rate. Especially in summer, when the level of business activity is reduced and when prices for hotels in the capital, even 4 and 5 star categories, are pleasantly pleasing to the eye.

Kaluga. State Museum history of astronautics. Photo: Igor Stomakhin / website

Let's get back to the regions. In your opinion, promoting your own territories, which includes working with tour operators and clearing train stations with airports, is still the task of the local community. But how can he, this local community, be interested? Only money?

Well, why not only. Understand that there are no unpromising regions: one way or another, everyone is involved and everyone is trying. To the best of my ability, of course, but still. Interest in promoting your own territories has grown significantly, and if earlier I asked to tell at least something about the region, now I don’t have to ask. They will tell and show everything. True, you won’t go far with words alone: ​​after all, no matter how much you say “halva”, it will not become sweeter in your mouth. Systematic program actions, personnel decisions and resource decisions are needed to make the territories more attractive. Tourism is interesting because it is not only an economic sphere, but also a social one. First of all, it is a driver for the intellectual growth of the population that will be employed in this area. Institutions must work to be able to train such personnel.

As for the staff, everything is sad, in my opinion. Everyone was waiting for a new generation with a European approach to come. And now it has come, but all with the same soviet. Is this problem in the approach to education in the field of tourism or is it in the mentality?

The task of staffing any major event, be it the Olympics, APEC, or the 1000th anniversary of Kazan, is comparable in importance to the task of preparing the infrastructure. Yes, in good hotel There must be at least one attendant per visitor. And then two. Universities train such personnel - both line and senior, but adapt them to the needs tourism very difficult. Anyway, for major events, you have to use volunteers and those who work on a rotational basis.

At a meeting of the State Council, the leader federal agency Oleg Safonov spoke about the development of cruise and yacht tourism. After that, the industry does not seem to have fully recovered. Does the federal targeted program for the development of tourism include funds to change the situation for the better? What do tour operators themselves say?

Today, there are practically no ships under 40 years old on our rivers, and new ones are not being built: the depreciation of the fleet is obvious. But there are already programs that imply renovations in this area. One of the primary tasks is the restoration of cruises on the Black Sea. Yalta and Sevastopol, cities that used to receive more than a hundred flights a year, are now under sanctions. Therefore, no one but us will sail to them now. There were many cruises from abroad, and the restoration of this flow is very important. And in general, the transition to cross-border complex products (when people come to one territory and visit another at the same time) should not be underestimated. Indeed, in this situation, the territories will not have to compete, and they will be interested in adding up their potentials.

Republic of Crimea. Sevastopol. Photo: Igor Stomakhin / website

Please tell us more about the 50+ program, which was also mentioned at the meeting of the State Council. Sounds very intriguing.

In fact, the program, which essentially consists of providing discounts to pensioners, is not new. It was previously sold by some of our tour operators in the outbound market. And people who are “for” or “not entirely for” participated in this program with pleasure, since this is a segment of consumers that is absolutely understandable for the market. They have a motivation to travel: such tourists are more inquisitive, they go on excursions more and devote a lot of time to health. In other words, they consume a certain set additional services. Gradually, the program is gaining momentum in the domestic market. In many ways, it becomes popular due to the subsidization of transportation and the optimal ratio of "price / quality" in the placement.

- In this whole story, for some reason, there is no emphasis on medical and health tourism. Why?

The sanatorium complex and medical and recreational resources are our main competitive advantage. You can just lie down and sunbathe in Greece and Turkey, but no one has such healing and health-improving methods as we have. In the Soviet Union, 45–50% of the total number of vacationers went to sanatoriums. Today this figure has dropped to 15-20%, and it needs to be returned. Mud, mineral water and other wellness resources are still unclaimed, because the maintenance of this entire complex is an expensive story. Previously, everything was sponsored by the state, but now much has been put on a “private track”. Therefore, the pearl, although it remains a pearl, is, alas, tarnished. That is, there are many factors for competitiveness, and the task now is not just to form a product, but also to sell it.

- How many Russians are traveling around the country today? Is there such a statistic?

Today, about 30% of our fellow citizens travel in Russia (of the total population - ed.), 12% of the total go abroad, and 42% do not go anywhere at all. No money. More than 70% want to go somewhere. That is, this is pent-up demand, which can be realized only with the direct participation of the state. Let's call it "social tourism". No direction - be it Black Sea coast, Northwest, Baikal, Crimea or Siberia - will not be able to develop if there are not enough people who could pay for it. Therefore, the first task is transport and economic accessibility to tourist resources. The second is the formation of the product of the territories. It is not for nothing that we are among the top five world leaders in terms of cultural, historical, natural and recreational potential.

There are many tasks, as well as words. Is it worth counting on any significant changes in the tourism sector after the meeting of the State Council?

The meeting of the State Council is a serious impetus for the development of tourism in our country. Landmarks and main directions are set. No matter what anyone says, the state should always make its contribution first. And you need to start with infrastructure. After all, then a businessman will come and build a hotel, or even a factory. This area provides an excellent opportunity for integrated development. And I think that the priorities are absolutely right. It remains, as they say, to wash, comb and look differently. Well, finally start thinking. Nothing without this.

According to Rosstat, in 2016 the number of tourist trips of Russians abroad amounted to 31.7 million. This is almost 8% less than in 2015. And according to the Border Guard Service, in 2016 the number of trips from Russia specifically for the purpose of tourism decreased significantly more, as shown by the data of Rosstat.

Read also the article with full, clarified and final information about

Compared to 2015, departures fell by 18.5% and amounted to 9 million 873 thousand trips. This is 2 million 234.1 thousand less than in 2015.

Under the article there is a comparative table on the number of tourist trips abroad in 2014-2016.

Recall that since 2014, Rosstat has been publishing statistics in accordance with the recommendations of the World tourism organization(UNWTO), which considers tourists not only those who declare tourism as the purpose of the trip, but also those traveling on a private invitation, on business, for treatment, in neighboring country for groceries or other goods, etc.

And according to Rosstat statistics, the top ten holiday destinations for Russians are as follows: Abkhazia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, China, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Thailand, Cyprus. Which, according to the tourist industry, is only partly true.

A slightly different picture is drawn by the data of the Border Guard Service, which divides the outbound flow according to the purpose of travel. There are also trips for the purpose of tourism, and we have been analyzing this indicator for many years, comparing the dynamics with previous years.

The figures received from the Border Guard Service of the Russian Federation helped to understand that in the notorious 31.7 million tourist trips abroad, according to Rosstat, more than 21 million are so-called private trips. And if departure for the purpose of tourism decreased by 18.5%, then private ones - by only 2.4%. Apparently, this is the reason for the relatively small decrease in the number of "tour trips" according to Rosstat.

In general, private trips make up the largest share in the total outbound flow from Russia. In 2016 - 38%. In second place are trips for the purpose of tourism - 29%. Further service personnel, crews Vehicle- 6%. Then business, then the military, then permanent residence.

Tourist departure from Russia has been declining since 2014. The most difficult was 2015, when the tourist flow collapsed by 31%, this was the largest drop since 1998. 2016 turned out to be a better year, although it was also not an easy one.

Almost until the end of July last year, Turkey was closed, from November 2015 Egypt is still closed. Other destinations have taken pieces of the Turkish and Egyptian pie, and in this situation, for the first time in many years, the top ten most popular destinations among Russians have changed significantly. Now the top 10 looks like this: Thailand, China, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey.

Thailand came out on top for the first time. This direction has been in the top 10 since 2007, and in recent years it has been in 5-6 place, and in 2016 it immediately jumped from sixth to first.

And Tunisia and Bulgaria, in general, "for the first time in their lives" entered the top ten in the Russian market.

Turkey, which since 2002 has consistently occupied the first line of the ranking, thanks to the return at the end of July in the top ten, nevertheless, it fell to 10th place.

Tunisia showed the largest growth in the top ten, and in the entire list at the end of the year, it grew by 1327%. This is compared to 2015, when due to terrorist attacks practically lost the incoming tourist flow, about 41 thousand tourists from Russia visited it. But even compared to the prosperous 2014, Tunisia added 140%.

In second place in the top ten in terms of growth dynamics is China (60%), which has been steadily declining since 2011, and suddenly rose with Turkey closed - most likely due to charters from various Russian cities to beach island Hainan.

In third place is Cyprus (55.5%), which has also been falling since 2014. Thailand and Bulgaria grew by 38% and 37% respectively. Greece grew by 23.5%.

On the whole, according to the list, many European part of the Russian tourist flow lost: Germany, France, Switzerland. Austria, Netherlands, UK, Belgium.

Mainly beach destinations have grown - UAE, Vietnam, Montenegro, Israel, India, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Cuba, Morocco.

It seems that the closure of Egypt and Turkey was a kind of triumph for these directions. They compare everything and everyone with them, and everyone understands that in a difficult economic situation, only in the absence of these two countries, other beach destinations could grow up. This also applies to domestic tourism.

The total departure of Russians abroad in 2016 amounted to 33.8 million trips - 8% less than in 2015.

Traveling abroad for the purpose of tourism in 2016

according to the Border Guard

(thousand trips)

Preliminary results of outbound tourism for 9 months of 2017.

countries visited by Russian tourists in 2017, according to the statistics of outbound trips from Russia for 9 months from January 1 to September 30, 2017.

outbound tourism in 2017 shows that outbound trips from Russia abroad have grown by almost a third. In 2017, outbound tourism grew by 20%-30% in the most popular destinations Europe and Southeast Asia.

The number of outbound tourist trips from Russia for 9 months of 2017 increased by 27% to 30.972 million from 24.314 million for 9 months of 2016 according to the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), which is almost equal to the number of outbound tourist trips from Russia abroad in 2016 at 31.7 million

The top 10 foreign countries popular with Russian tourists in 2017 in terms of the number of outbound tourist trips from Russia following the results of 9 months were Turkey (3.944 thousand trips), Abkhazia (3.493 thousand), Finland (2.481 thousand), Kazakhstan (2.326 thousand .), Ukraine (1.706 thousand), China (1.478 thousand), Estonia (1.285 thousand), Poland (929 thousand), Germany (918 thousand) and Georgia (802 thousand).

According to TurStat, in 2017 Turkey is the leader in foreign trips of Russian tourists. For 9 months of 2017, the number of trips of Russians to Turkey amounted to more than 3.9 million, which is 8 times more than in 9 months of 2016.

Turkey (3.944M trips, +717% compared to 9M 2016), China (1.478M, +25%) and Georgia (802K, +35%) showed the highest growth in outbound tours in 2017 in the first ten countries popular with Russian tourists.

Beach destinations in Southeast Asia: Thailand (706 thousand, + 26%) and Vietnam (360 thousand, + 27%), Caribbean: Dominican Republic(Dominican Republic) (165K, +117%) and Cuba (53K, +130%) and the Middle East: UAE (454K, +41%) and Israel (256K, +20%) showed the most high growth of outbound tourism from Russia for 9 months of 2017.

Outbound tourism from Russia in 2017 increased to the most popular European excursion, resort and beach destinations: Spain (794 thousand, + 19%), Italy (713 thousand, + 28%), France (368 thousand, + 22% ), the Czech Republic (358 thousand, + 42%) and Austria (185 thousand + 37%) for the first 9 months of the year.

Outbound tourism in The CIS and the former USSR in 2017 grew in Azerbaijan (567 thousand, + 16%), Armenia (279 thousand, + 32%) and Moldova (205 thousand, + 28%) following the results of 9 months of the year, as well as in Georgia (802 thousand, + 35%).

Outbound tourism from Russia to the Baltic States (Baltic states) in 2017 increased to Estonia (1.285 thousand, +15%) and Latvia (301 thousand, +12%), but decreased to Lithuania (501 thousand, -8%) at the end of 9 months of the year.

outbound tourism in 2017 is presented below.

: The most popular foreign countries among Russian tourists in 2017 (according to the number of outbound tourist trips for 9 months of 2017):

1. Turkey, 3,944k (+717% from 483k) *
2. Abkhazia, 3,493 thousand (+1%)
3. Finland, 2,481 thousand (+17%)
4. Kazakhstan, 2,326 thousand (+3.5%)
5. Ukraine, 1,706 thousand (+24%)
6. China, 1,478 thousand (+25%)
7. Estonia, 1.285 thousand (+14.5%)
8. Poland, 929 thousand (+11%)
9. Germany, 918 thousand (+19%)
10. Georgia, 802 thousand (+35%)
11. Spain, 794 thousand (+19%)
12. Greece, 792 thousand (+10%)
13. Cyprus, 738 thousand (+7%)
14. Italy, 713 thousand (+28%)
15. Thailand, 706 thousand (+26%)
16. Azerbaijan, 567 thousand (+16%)
17. Lithuania, 501 thousand (-8%)
18. Bulgaria, 463 thousand (-11%)
19. Tunisia, 458 thousand (-18%)
20. UAE, 454 thousand (+41%)
21. France, 368 thousand (+22%)
22. Vietnam, 360 thousand (+37%)
23. Czech Republic, 358 thousand (+42%)
24. South Ossetia, 332 thousand (0%)
25. Latvia, 301 thousand (+12%)
26. Montenegro, 288 thousand (+8%)
27. Armenia, 279 thousand (+32%)
28. Israel, 256 thousand (+20%)
29. Republic of Moldova, 205 thousand (+28%)
30. Kyrgyzstan, 199 thousand (+15%)
31. Great Britain, 196 thousand (+23%)
32. Austria, 185k (+37%)
33. USA, 182K (+9%)
34. Switzerland, 182k (+5%)
35. Republic of Korea, 169 thousand (+19%)
36. Netherlands, 166 thousand (+30%)
37. Dominican Republic, 165K (+117%)
38. India, 127 thousand (+49%)
39. Uzbekistan, 93 thousand (+22%)
40. Tajikistan, 91 thousand (+6%)
41. Norway, 86 thousand (+13%)
42. Hungary, 79 thousand (+13%)
43. Mongolia, 68 thousand (+26%)
44. Belgium, 65k (+23%)
45. Qatar, 57k (+24%)
46. Cuba, 53k (+130%)
47. Serbia, 58 thousand (0%)
48. Croatia, 54 thousand (+4%)
49. Japan, 49 thousand (+44%)
50. Sweden, 43 thousand (+39%)
51. Jordan, 36 thousand (+33%)
52. Portugal, 32 thousand (+60%)
53. Denmark, 25 thousand (-11%)
54. Slovakia, 22 thousand (+6%)
55. Maldives, 21 thousand (+24%)
56. Singapore, 20 thousand (+5%)
57. Morocco, 18 thousand (-36%)
58. Slovenia, 15 thousand (+25%)
59. Hong Kong, 13 thousand (-19%)
60. Romania, 9 thousand
    Other countries, 99 thousand

* The brackets indicate the change in the number of outbound tourist trips for 9 months of 2017 compared to 9 months of 2016.