Tourists do not seem to be returning home yet
Russia has recently become the main excursion route. Since 2013, regular and charter flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg are made by Mahan Air. Before that, only Aeroflot was making flights between Iran and Russia due to high costs. Experts say that the rising tourist flow can be explained by the simplicity of gaining visas, while most European states are closed to them.
Russia’s Svoy TT, a branch of TUI TTravel PLC (controller of the Accommodation &Destinations online booking system), specializes in this sector. The company offers tourism services in Russia to companies and partners of the TUI pool, including booking systems Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Hotelopia. In 2011, Svoy TT started functioning as an official representative of Russia of the Bedsonline system in Russia, named Bedsonline-Russia. The company had a turnover of over 30 million euros and served over 200,000 Russian and foreign guests in 2013.
Sergey Voytovich, the director general of Svoy TT, says that “Iranian groups used to make single flights using Aeroflot, now they make four charter flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Last year, Iranian airline Mahan Air made the first attempt. They gained permission for flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Last year, a flight with Iranian tourists was made once a week. This year, they are made 4 times a week, and the flow of Iranian tourists this year has greatly increased.”
In 2013, Svoy TT won the tender of Rosmorport and accommodated over 30,000 guests and participants of the 22nd Winter Games in Sochi on international cruise liners in the Morskoy Port in Sochi (NORWEGIAN JADE, MS PRINCESS MARIA, SPL PRINCESS ANASTASIA, MS SNAV TOSCANA) and in the Imeretinsky Maritime Port (GRAND HOLIDAY, MS LOUIS OLYMPIA, MS THOMSON SPIRIT). This summer, Svoy TT became the exclusive tourism operator of the F-1 Grand Prix in Sochi.
According to Voytovich, “officials of Iranian airlines and tour operators have already visited Sochi to check the tourism product.” In his opinion, “this year, the general flow from Iran to Russia will increase by 40-50%. Our tourism is not a beach one yet, they have not made it to Sochi yet. They certainly do not expect to lie under a palm and drink cocktails. They expect to see our historical, cultural sites. It is a standard Moscow – Saint Petersburg program, there are some differences or additions in the program. In addition, they visit the Hermitage, Kremlin, metros and Petrodvarets on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. They also visit, for example, the Moscow History Museum of Military Vehicles or the Museum of the History of War.”
At the same time, Voytovich supposes that Iran for Russians is an exotic place: “People would want to visit Persia, but Russia and Iran are zones of war and political tensions for Russia. So far, the tourism flow from Russia to Iran is small. The tourism flow from Iran to Russia is much greater. It is probably one of the countries where the tourism flow from another country is greater than the other way round.”
Tourists do not seem to be returning home yetRussia has recently become the main excursion route. Since 2013, regular and charter flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg are made by Mahan Air. Before that, only Aeroflot was making flights between Iran and Russia due to high costs. Experts say that the rising tourist flow can be explained by the simplicity of gaining visas, while most European states are closed to them.Russia’s Svoy TT, a branch of TUI TTravel PLC (controller of the Accommodation &Destinations online booking system), specializes in this sector. The company offers tourism services in Russia to companies and partners of the TUI pool, including booking systems Hotelbeds, Bedsonline, Hotelopia. In 2011, Svoy TT started functioning as an official representative of Russia of the Bedsonline system in Russia, named Bedsonline-Russia. The company had a turnover of over 30 million euros and served over 200,000 Russian and foreign guests in 2013.Sergey Voytovich, the director general of Svoy TT, says that “Iranian groups used to make single flights using Aeroflot, now they make four charter flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Last year, Iranian airline Mahan Air made the first attempt. They gained permission for flights to Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Last year, a flight with Iranian tourists was made once a week. This year, they are made 4 times a week, and the flow of Iranian tourists this year has greatly increased.”In 2013, Svoy TT won the tender of Rosmorport and accommodated over 30,000 guests and participants of the 22nd Winter Games in Sochi on international cruise liners in the Morskoy Port in Sochi (NORWEGIAN JADE, MS PRINCESS MARIA, SPL PRINCESS ANASTASIA, MS SNAV TOSCANA) and in the Imeretinsky Maritime Port (GRAND HOLIDAY, MS LOUIS OLYMPIA, MS THOMSON SPIRIT). This summer, Svoy TT became the exclusive tourism operator of the F-1 Grand Prix in Sochi.According to Voytovich, “officials of Iranian airlines and tour operators have already visited Sochi to check the tourism product.” In his opinion, “this year, the general flow from Iran to Russia will increase by 40-50%. Our tourism is not a beach one yet, they have not made it to Sochi yet. They certainly do not expect to lie under a palm and drink cocktails. They expect to see our historical, cultural sites. It is a standard Moscow – Saint Petersburg program, there are some differences or additions in the program. In addition, they visit the Hermitage, Kremlin, metros and Petrodvarets on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. They also visit, for example, the Moscow History Museum of Military Vehicles or the Museum of the History of War.”At the same time, Voytovich supposes that Iran for Russians is an exotic place: “People would want to visit Persia, but Russia and Iran are zones of war and political tensions for Russia. So far, the tourism flow from Russia to Iran is small. The tourism flow from Iran to Russia is much greater. It is probably one of the countries where the tourism flow from another country is greater than the other way roun
