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TRAVEL DISTRIBUTION
RUSSIA
REPORT
including an over view of the CEE region
Edition 1
EyeforTravel Research
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Table of Contents
Travel Distribution Russia & CEE Report Edition 1
Table of Contents
Section 1: Russia 9
1. Country overview 11
Introduction 11
1.1 Macroeconomic setting 12
1.2 Key demographics 19
1.3 Government policy 26
2. Tourism overview 31
3.1 The size of the Russian travel market: online vs. offline 45
3.2 Airline sector analysis 46
3.3 Hotel sector analysis 50
3.4 Car rental sector analysis 56
3.5 Package tour sector analysis 56
3.6 Online intermediaries 59
3.7 Traditional intermediaries 63
3.8 Costs and Key Performance Indicators 66
3.9 Technological advances in Russia 66
6. A ‘how to’ guide for international businesses in the Russian travel industry 75
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List of Figures
This section of the report is intended to with an overall population of around 148
provide summary information on the million, the market is of a similar size to
ten countries in Central and Eastern Russia, although over a much smaller
Europe who have joined the EU since area.
2004: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, We present overviews of each of the
Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Ukraine countries in the region in terms of
has also been included in this resume for basic macroeconomic information,
reasons explained below. and data on Internet access and usage
and e-commerce developments. This is
In recent years all these countries have followed by information and statistics
experienced considerable change in on travel and tourism activity, both
consumer spending patterns during the domestic and outbound, including some
transition to free market economies, and regional information.
Executive Summary 79
2.1 Bulgaria 83
2.2 Czech Republic 85
2.3 Estonia 87
2.4 Hungary 88
2.5 Latvia 90
2.6 Lithuania 91
2.7 Poland 92
2.8 Romania 95
2.9 Slovakia 96
2.10 Slovenia 97
2.11 Ukraine 99
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Table of Contents
Travel Distribution Russia & CEE Report Edition 1
Conclusion 128
Methodology 129
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List of Figures
List of Figures
Section 1: Russia
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Travel Distribution Russia & CEE Report Edition 1
List of Figures
Figure 33 Hotel sector - Growth in direct sales, 2007-2012F 53
Figure 34 Hotel sector - Direct vs. indirect sales, 2005-2012F 53
Figure 35 Value of the Russian car rental market & car rental fleet size,
2006-2008F 56
Figure 36 Value of the domestic package tour sector, 2002-2012F 57
Figure 37 Domestic tour package sector - Online vs. offline sales, 2005-2012F 57
Figure 38 Value of the outbound package tour sector, 2002-2012F 57
Figure 39 Outbound tour package sector - Online vs. offline sales, 2005-2012F 58
Figure 40 Package tours - direct vs. indirect sales, 2002-2012F 58
Figure 41 Breakdown of online visits to Russian OTAs, July 2007 60
Figure 42 Online visits to Russian OTAs by country, August 2007 60
Figure 43 OTA sector leaders in terms of site visitors, July 2007 61
Figure 44 Value of the OTA market in Russia, 2002-2012F 61
Figure 45 Breakdown of OTA sales by sector 62
Figure 46 Breakdown of Yandex and Aport OTA sales by sector, 2007 62
Figure 47 Value of sales by traditional intermediaries, 2005-2012F 63
Figure 48 The 65 key players in the Russian tourist industry, 2006 64
Figure 49 Russian Internet penetration, 2004-2007 68
Figure 50 Regional analysis of Internet users by frequency of use, 69
January – June 2007
Figure 51 Volume of Internet users by city, 2006 69
Figure 52 Internet access location of Russian consumers 70
Figure 53 Influential sources of information for Russian travel consumers, 2005 70
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Section 2: CEE Overview
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List of Figures
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Executive Summary
Travel Distribution Russia & CEE • Section 1 Russia
Section 1: Russia
This report examines the travel distribution trends in Russia. It aims to fill a gap in travel
industry knowledge, as information on this region in terms of travel distribution is fairly
limited. The report identifies and analyses individual markets in terms of their stages of
development regarding travel distribution and the population’s propensity to travel.
The report is intended for various travel industry sectors such as airlines, hotels, travel
agents, online intermediaries and tourism boards. It provides information necessary to
back up distribution and marketing strategies and ultimately reach the consumer in a
more informed way. It will be of interest to both foreign companies looking to invest in
the market and capitalise on the travel spend of the residents (domestic and international
travel) as well as local companies looking to understand the market in which they
operate.
The report examines the role of the Internet in terms of travel distribution in Russia,
combined with a study into traditional channels of distribution, which at this stage still
play a dominant role in Russia.
The report focuses exclusively on the market for domestic and outbound travel and
tourism. It does not count the inbound contribution to the Russian tourist economy, so as
to avoid any global double counting.
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Executive Summary
Key Trends/Highlights
• All the current predictions for the Russian economy are positive, based on a healthy
macroeconomic environment and expectations of large scale government investments
in the economy. Russia is seeing a steady growth in infrastructure investment and
earnings are rising steadily.
• All the trends in domestic and outbound travel predict significant increases in all
sectors, with airline travel benefitting particularly from the growth.
• Russian government investment into the tourism infrastructure is developing, with the
designation of a number of Special Economic Zones dedicated to tourism. These zones
offer highly favourable tax conditions and are attracting interest from Russian and
international players in the travel market. The programme reflects the commitment to
exploiting the huge potential resources for tourism in the largest country in the world.
• The decision to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi has stimulated further
investment pledges from both the government and private sector. Sochi is at the heart
of the Krasnodar region, where around 50% of Russian tourists go every year.
• The hotel market is ripe for expansion and investment; one of the key factors holding
back domestic tourism in Russia is the lack of mid-range hotels in both the major
cities and tourist destinations in the regions. In 2004, the US Department of Commerce
highlighted this sector as particularly favourable for international investors.
• In 2006, the World Travel and Tourism Council presented a report for the Russian
Government and the Federal Tourism Agency forecasting Russia to regain the role of a
leading tourist attraction before 2015. The Russian tourism industry will be developing
twice as fast as in the European Union, according to the Council’s prognosis. According
to Russian travel industry experts, this level of growth will be hard to achieve, but the
forecast is a powerful indicator of Russia’s potential as a tourist destination.
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