Russians want to meet the end of the world in Mexico
The previous year brought record-breaking figures to Mexico – the number of Russian tourists at the country’s resorts grew by 55% and reached almost 42 thousand people. Russian tour operators connect this growth of the tourist flow with the following factors: visa regime facilitation, increase of air transportation volumes and the Russian’s interest towards the end of the world, promised by the Maya Calendar.
According to Mexican Ministry of Tourism, our country has placed second after Brazil in terms of the dynamics of the tourist flow growth. Brazil added 66%, following by China (+30%), Columbia (+23%), Italy (+13%) and Australia (+13%). The total number of foreign tourists who visited Mexico’s resorts and other places of interest amounts to 22.7 million people, which is 2% more compared to the previous year’s results.
Even though Mexico is more expensive than, for instance, neighboring Dominicana or Cuba, the demand is going up” – claims the head of Latin America department of Vand International Tour Company Ms. Irina Ovchinnikova. She believes that in the near future Mexico, thanks to its unique combination of beach leisure and rich historical heritage, might even compete with some Asian destinations. An average itinerary will cost $2.5-3 thousand, depending on the airfare. Ms. Ovchinnikova also reminded that after Mexico switched to electronic visa application processing, a visa may be obtained in just a couple of minutes.
Mind that in 2012 Mexico is getting ready for the real tourist boom, caused by the termination of the Maya Calendar. Mexican Tourist Authorities are going to focus on activities devoted to this event. At that they are planning to promote trips to five states, representing the world of Maya: Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas and Yukatan. According to tour operators, the Russians have already started expressing their interest towards the end of the world; however the actual bookings are still rare.
Last year the peak demand for Mexico fell on October-November – report the market players. These months along with New Year holidays showed a fair cost-effectiveness. As for now – the tour operators point out – the sales have gone slightly down. Some experts believe it has something to do with the upcoming presidential election in Russia. However, the second half of March, April and May holidays are being booked quite actively.
Another factor, leading to the region’s development, is the increase of air transportation. As for today, Transaero operates two weekly services to the country’s capital and Aeroflot is flying to Cancun 10 times a week. Mexico can also be reached by connecting flights of foreign airlines. That said, the tour operators see the large number of flights as both advantage and disadvantage. According to the manager for Mexico of Caribbean Club travel company Ms. Oksana Zhouk, such a number of flights is good for high season. Now, when the demand has fallen down, it proves to be too much.