Maya Lomidze: “There is no country in the world, which our tourists haven’t visited”

Interview by Maria Sidelnikova. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Maya Lomidze, Executive Director of the Association of Tourism Operators of Russia, told Vestnik Kavkaza where Russian tourists prefer to spend vacations.

-          In autumn we can sum up the preliminary results of the tourist season.

-          There are preliminary results on Turkey, Bulgaria and Egypt, of course. We expect the growth in Turkey at the end of September. At the moment we predict 30% growth, including those tourists who visited Turkey instead of Egypt in August. As for Bulgaria, a growth of 5%. But while Turkey was a cost efficient destination, Bulgaria didn’t cause the admiration of tour operators because in June-July one could buy a week-tour to Bulgaria for 70-100 euro per person. Of course such prices bring no profit.

As for Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, and Italy, the preliminary data are positive – the growth is 10% on average. For example, in Greece the growth is by 30-35% due to stiff competition between our companies, due to very low prices for tours to the country. Despite the serious jump in the number of tourists, the year is hardly fantastic from the financial point of view. However, precise information will be received only in late September and early October.

-          Have the misfortunes of tour operators been caused by the situation in Egypt?

-          No. The situation in Egypt was another trouble of the season. At the same time, all tour operators which work with Egypt lost millions, and despite the further developments, losses are obvious. According to preliminary information, it is about $15-20 million for the whole market. It is a significant figure.

As for all other destinations, difficulties and low profits are explained by hard competition and the changed behavior of consumers. It seems people wait for a crisis and stop buying expensive tours. Stiff competition among tour operators led to decrease of prices. Sometimes the number of tourists grew, but prices were reduced – it is a loss rather than a financial success for tourist companies.

-          Returning to Egypt, how are arguments between tourists and companies being settled? Are there conflicts?

-          We have overcome the wave of conflicts in the second half of August. At the moment the situation is stable, if we speak about relations between a consumer and a tourist company. But a lot will depend on the further developments in Egypt. Most of those who had bought tours before the publishing of the recommendations on withholding sales bought new tours to other destinations and didn’t want to spend their time on trials. Many of them went to Turkey.

Less attractive and less demanded were the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, and Cyprus, but some tourists went there.

Notwithstanding all the events, there are some people who still want to visit Egypt. They are ready to sign any acknowledgments to go there. However, according to our information, there are only 5-6 flights a week to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. It is clear that the flights are partially enforced because we need to take those who stay in Egypt. According to our data, there are about 5 thousand tourists in Egypt resorts. Their number is growing insignificantly.

-          If Syria was a popular destination for Russian tourists, would our people be enthusiastic about going there now?

-          If Syria had islands of peace, like in Egypt, i.e. resort zones, probably they would. Our people don’t want to visit Cairo, for example.

-          How can tourists secure themselves? Is there cancellation coverage?

-          Cancellation coverage is not used for visa-free destinations. But even if a tourist wanted to buy it, it requires the return of the tour’s cost only if a tourist rejects it due to bad health conditions. Concerning visa-free destinations, we don’t consider visa as a ground for the rejection of a tour; all other insurable events are health conditions, health conditions of relatives and so on, depending on insurance company. Military operations and tense situations are not grounds for cancellation coverage.

-          What are the most exotic countries and destinations which Russian tourists choose?

-          There is no country in the world which our tourists haven’t visited. The only country where our people don’t go is Canada because the Canadian embassy is on strike for six month and doesn’t give visas. Fewer and fewer Russian tourists go there. In general our tourists are from Greenland to the South Pole.

-          Why has such a situation appeared with the Canadian embassy?

-          It is unexplainable. Nobody explains it to us. It is an official body. Neither Foreign Ministry nor embassy reacts to our signals.

-          Tourist flows are permanently growing. Tourism is a part of culture of fast consumption. How do you see the future of tourism in 20 years?

-          For example, today Bali restricts the number of tourists because they damage the ecology and infrastructure of the island. Of course, there are places in the world where presence of tourists and guests is so intensive that it can damage and even destroy in a long-perspective this or that sight or facility. For sure, in 20 years this tendency will have greater importance than today. But I think the shift will be positive, especially if we speak about Russian tourism. I am sure that people will travel actively – not for a month or three weeks, but for a weekend, for 4-5 days, and not only abroad. I think they will actively travel all over Russia because in 20 years the situation with roads, infrastructure, prices will improve, I hope. Travelling won’t be an indicator of belonging to elites or a synonym of an award – you work for a year and have a right to a vacation. It will be a part of a lifestyle because traveling through Russia is fantastic. All European countries are a bit similar, as well as the Mediterranean countries. There are some common things. We have the common language, but every region has absolutely unique features.

I believe our tourists will realize this and extend their views.