OREANDA-NEWS. The rise in price of tours did not affect the demand of Russian tourists, said Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR). As the pandemic weakens, more Russians are looking to travel.

"Prices have risen, both on the domestic product and on foreign routes, which are very few at the moment," Lomidze admitted, answering questions during an online conference.

The average cost of popular holiday destinations is higher "than it was in 2019 or 2020. However, price increases do not affect demand, there is no outflow of tourists," she said.

According to Lomidze, the demand is provided by the most active travelers, and "these are wealthy tourists, with an average income and above average income." Russian tourists, as a rule, prefer tours in hotels with four or five stars.

In the current season, most tourists buy tours at the last moment, or at best 2-3 weeks, and in 2017-2019, tours were bought 2-3 months before the start of the holiday.

Russians prefer to travel around the country, as a result, according to the results of the first quarter of 2021, the inbound tourist flow decreased by 97% in comparison with the same period of 2019.