Demand for river cruises comes back
The
tragedy on cruise ship Bulgaria in summer 2011 has been negatively influencing
the cruise market for the last two years. In 2012 summer navigation, sales
decreased significantly compared to
“When
compared to the previous year, the demand for early booking has increased by
40%. A third part of all seats is already sold. Cruises lasting more than seven
days are in great demand”, said the Director of the domestic tourism of
Vodokhod Company Mr. Andrey Smolin. Regional tour operators present similar
data.
Director
General at Samara Travel Company of the Volga region Mr. Dmitry Voropayev notes
the growth of sales. However, according to him, it happens due to regular
customers who are used to book in advance. Mr. Voropaev recalled that after the
Bulgaria accident, there was a serious revision of the Russian river fleet, and
legislation of water transportation was changed dramatically. For example,
since this year, GLONASS satellite system will trace all the vessel movements
on the inner waters. “I believe it will improve the control and positively
influence the sector”, noted Mr. Voropayev.
The Head
of Infoflot Company Mr. Alexander Sakharov believes that the tension caused by
the tragedy on Bulgaria has almost relaxed. According to him, for the first
time in the last two years passengers don’t ask so many questions about technical
condition of their ship, the crew which serves it and so on. Market players
consider it to be a good sign.
However,
yet tour operators don’t hurry to forecast the navigation-2013. “February and
March are the indicative months as it's the main booking period of the upcoming
season. Last year, it was a complete failure, which influenced all-year’s
sales”, continued Mr. Sakharov.
Tourists
were attracted by a 10% early booking discount available in the majority of
travel companies before the New Year. Now it’s very difficult to find a cruise at
a discounted rate. According to the market players, by today, the prices have
increased by an average of 5-10% and are likely to continue growing. “The
profitability of the river cruises is small, about 3-5%, and if we take in
consideration that tour operators couldn’t make any profit and slowed the
prices within the last two years, it’s rather natural that the effect of delayed
price increase appeared”, believes Alexander Sakharov. His colleague from
Samara Travel Company recalls that operators were not only spending money on
security upgrades, prices for fuel, which takes 25% of a package, were going up
within the period as well.
In
this situation, some clients look for a way to make any type of vacation
cheaper. According to Andery Smolin, Muscovites started going over to the
regions last year. That is to say, citizens of the capital buy cruises setting
up not in Moscow, but in, say, Nizhny Novgorod more and more often. In this
case, a cruise turns out to be significantly cheaper.
On the
other hand, Mostourflot Company notes that tourists’ interest towards 4-5*
ships has increased. A cruise like this would cost from 5,000 to 8,000 roubles
(€120-200) per night per person. Deputy Director General of Mostourflot Ms. Svetlana
Goncharova said that a new luxury ship built in 2012 and named Alexander Green is
to set out this May. 90% of cabins are already sold. However, Russians will be
able to travel on Alexander Green only in spring and autumn, since for the peak
summer season, the ship will be chartered by an Australian tour operator.