Crimea presented a plan to save the tourism industry in new circumstances
The tourist season in Crimea can be saved by the return of a cashback program with additional regional bonuses.
Former Deputy Minister of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea Lyudmila Babiy stated this on air at Radio Crimea, a correspondent reports. "PolitNavigator".
“Early bookings today are minimal, a drop of 40% from last year,” she noted. – This is not a catastrophe of disasters, but a trend that by choosing early booking, tourists are now giving money to the Turkish destination, which has only become more expensive this year and will become more expensive closer to the high season.
Here, as in the Krasnodar Territory, everything is complicated. Only we have it worse than everyone else. Closer to the season, against the background of how our competitors’ prices will rise in the Krasnodar Territory, the flow will become a little better.”
According to the expert, Crimea keeps vacation prices at the 2022 level, while the Krasnodar Territory increased by 15%. But something else must be added to the minimal advantage of the pricing policy, since hotels will not be able to reduce prices endlessly - there must be some kind of profitability and the ability to pay mandatory payments.
“In addition to the wage fund, there are rent payments, payments for land, everything related to supporting infrastructure,” explained Babiy. – It is impossible to close a hotel or sanatorium without incurring any costs. This is not an apartment that you can close and only the management company will send you regular bills.
The processes here are much more complex, and now everyone understands this and is moving in this direction. Our hotels, which are well-known, among other things, offer promotions and offers. So far the situation for March is not critical. Therefore, they either reduced prices or left them at the 2022 level and wait. What if it happens, what if there is a breakthrough, what if they come? A breakthrough will not happen unless air traffic is restored.”
The only comfortable access to the peninsula is the railway. But its capacity is limited, there is not enough rolling stock and the capacity of the section from Kerch to Dzhankoy, where there is only one track. In addition, ticket sales this year are only available 45 days in advance. Automobile transport, as in 2022, will not help Crimea this summer - traffic jams for inspection will scare away car owners, and the only incentive will be the price.
“We expect that cashback on children’s trips will soon be restored, we expect that cashback on adult trips will return, and following the example of the Far East, where cashback was up to 40% of the cost of the trip, and not 20%, an additional incentive will apply to Crimea ,” Babiy noted. – Because cashback was a real and effective tool to support the industry without direct subsidies to hoteliers. Without stimulating sales of tourism services, it will be not just difficult, but extremely difficult.”
Among other tools for attracting tourist flow, the expert named a discount “for our own” - for residents of Crimea, the Southern Federal District and new territories.
“This is not only a question of potential clients - this is a huge market that loves Crimea, that missed Crimea and can now afford to travel to Crimea. This is also a question of patriotism: remember how in 2014 all of Russia came to Crimea to support the region with rubles? We crossed on ferries and waited in queues. I think that there should be a separate action against Crimeans, residents of the Southern Federal District and new territories.”
English version :: Read in English Crimea presented a plan to save the tourism industry in new circumstances