Should I buy a tour in advance? When is it cheaper to go to Thailand, the cheapest trips and tours. Flexible dates for tours to Turkey from

On February 23, Russian tourists will travel to Moscow, Sochi, Prague, St. Petersburg and Istanbul. On the "long" weekend of March 8, the leaders are almost the same: Prague, Sochi, Istanbul. When tourists return, they will book tours for the summer. How profitable is it to buy a trip to the sea six months before the departure date?

Most this summer Russian tourists will go to Turkey. 55% of pre-purchased tours are in this country. Tunisia, Greece, Cyprus and Russia are far behind.

Promotion " early booking"Most tour operators end on March 31, and the peak of purchases falls on the last two weeks of March. It starts depending on the country at different times: summer rest in Spain you can start booking in November, Turkey starts selling in November-December, Europe - in December-January.

At the start of the promotion, tour operators lure 50% discounts. Now, of course, there are no 50% discounts, and they are not always available even at the very beginning. As the PR director of a large Russian tour operator Larisa Akhanova, among the most profitable countries for buying today: Spain - discounts are 41.5%. Greece - discounts reach 30% and apply to all destinations - Corfu, Crete, Peloponnese, Chalkidiki and Rhodes. In Turkey, you can now save about 45%.

There is another secret: the prices for countries that require a Schengen visa to enter, and these are Greece, Italy, Spain, 3-5 days before departure from tour operators fall sharply down. With such a promotion, you can leave for 4 nights in a "three-ruble note" without food for 15 thousand to Crete for two. Tour operators see that some offer is poorly understood, and reduce prices for it. For destinations where demand is growing, prices rise a week before departure.

Compared to last year, as told CEO Dmitry Malyutin, the average prices for tours to Turkey for the summer of 2017, when purchased before February 10, cost tourists 94 thousand rubles, when purchased before mid-May for June-July this direction cost 87 thousand. With early booking, Greece cost vacationers an average of 81 thousand rubles, and a month and a half before departure - 99 thousand. A tour to Italy, bought before February 10, was sold for 92 thousand, later it cost 94 thousand

The main advantage of early booking is the ability to choose the hotel that you like or that you have already been to before it is sold out. It is possible that its price will not differ much from that offered by travel agencies 2 months before the start of the tour. Let the discount for six months be not too big, but rest in your favorite hotel is guaranteed.

"Early booking - most often these are not cheap tours - for a large family or company," says Alexei Zaretsky, CEO of another large online service for finding and booking tours. "Tourists choose a specific hotel according to certain criteria, good number with sea views. By the summer the most popular and comfortable hotels either filled to capacity, or raise the cost. Therefore, in this situation, early booking, of course, is very beneficial - otherwise you can simply not get to your favorite hotel. However, if we talk about the cheapest tours to inexpensive hotels, then in the summer there are more of them. This option is suitable if tourists don’t care where to go, as long as it’s cheap. " Summer Thailand will cost the cheapest now - an average of 33 thousand rubles per person. But in Thailand in summer the rainy season and low tides.

Cheaply you can relax in late May and early June (prices are reduced immediately after the May holidays). If you are not afraid of the cool sea, then you can look at Cyprus and Southern Greece.

When buying a tour for six months, tour operators do not require you to pay the entire cost of the tour at once: 25-50% of the cost must be paid within 5 days after the conclusion of the contract, and the remaining amount can be paid 2 weeks - or for some tour operators a month - before departure. One major disadvantage of early booking is the inability to make changes to travel dates and tourist data. That is, plans cannot be changed in any way. Or buy travel insurance, which significantly increases the cost of the trip.

But, if for some reason the cost of the purchased tour has fallen in price while you were waiting for your vacation, tour operators can return the difference. But only if it is written in the terms of the contract.

Personal experience

Travel agency or independent travel?

If you want to get into a good five-star hotel at a not too space price, then take a closer look at the offers of tour operators. Very often, the price is very different from that offered by booking sites. For example, a good five-star hotel in Rhodes with breakfast and dinner cost three years ago for 8 nights about 40 thousand rubles per person. The same hotel on a popular booking site was offered at three times the price with the same terms and conditions. Still, the discounts that tour operators are entitled to work. And if you book a vacation on your own, take a closer look at the apartments: their price on booking sites is low, and travel agencies hardly sell them. But the rest will be more secluded, breakfast at the time you wish, and less noise from the neighbors. You can save on air tickets if you buy them 5-6 months in advance. At this time, there is still a chance to buy tickets at a promo price - the lowest from which sales start. The number of such tickets is limited, and keep in mind that they cannot be returned without losing the full price. If the departure date is close, then there are usually no promotional tickets, but there are flights for 30,000 for a seat in economy class and 70,000 for a seat in business class.

Where did the "burning" tours go?

There is no concept of "burning" tours as such now. Some time ago, it was possible to save a lot on such tours. But now places in the most popular hotels are sold out in most cases at the early booking stage, especially on peak dates.

There are no last-minute tours in the high season - for example, to Thailand in February or Turkey in August - because the demand for these destinations is too high, and it is unprofitable for tour operators to reduce prices.

Where are Russians going in the summer of 2018 through the "early booking" promotion?

Turkey - 55%
Tunisia - 9%
Greece - 8%
Cyprus - 5%
Russia - 5%
Spain - 3%
Thailand - 2%
Bulgaria - 2%
UAE - 2%
Italy - 1%
Vietnam - 1%
Dominican Republic - 1%
Czech Republic - 1%
Montenegro - 1%

Back in August, Muscovites began to "prepare sledges": book hotels on ski resorts and buy tours exotic islands. We talked with experts and found out when it is most profitable to buy a ticket, what is cheaper: last-minute tours or early booking, and whether it is worth rushing to buy air tickets to hot countries.

When to buy tours for the New Year and winter

According to experts, about paradise vacation in 30-degree frost it is worth considering until the end of October. “The decision must be made during September-October, and the tour should be bought at the end of November. Then there will be few offers, and the most popular hotels will be sold out,” emphasizes Anna Podgornaya, general director of the Pegas Touristik tour operator.

Other experts believe that with a tour for the winter and New Year must be decided by the end of October.

Last minute trips or early booking

According to Podgornaya, early booking promotions are cheaper than last-minute deals. The fact is that the price of air tickets for charter flights in the composition of tour packages is unchanged. But the hotel can save a lot of money. "When you buy a tour with an early booking promotion, you can save up to 50% on a hotel. This is significant, since the cost of living is sometimes 60-70% of the price of the tour," she explained.

Last-minute tours with a price below the average are not so often and there are few of them, the expert added. In addition, even during early booking promotions, tourists try to book the best hotels.

Travelata CEO Alexei Zaretsky warns that New Year or May holidays there are practically no burning tours. "At these peak dates, early booking is advisable because the most good options in terms of price and quality, they are sold out in advance. If you buy a tour at the last moment, you will have to take for a lot of money or what is left," he explained.

Last-minute tours in winter will still be: from about January 10 to 15. These days everyone returns home and the tour operators are underloaded. In January, after the holidays, Russians rarely take vacations, as this is unprofitable due to the small number of working days.

"After the holidays, it is very profitable to rest - at this time, prices fall by 30-40%," advises Zaretsky.

Where to go

According to the transport adviser, head federal agency on tourism Dmitry Gorin, the new leader in the winter season will be the United Arab Emirates. The increase in the number of flights and the abolition of visas play into the hands of tour operators.

Next in priority for Russian tourists is the traditional trio - "Thailand, Vietnam and Goa". Israel, Cuba and the Dominican Republic are also popular. Last of all countries Latin America is now in the greatest demand when buying winter tours. In the Dominican Republic, a lot of hotels operate on an all-inclusive basis, and more charters have begun to fly there, Gorin noted.

According to him, a hurricane in the United States on vacation in the Dominican Republic will not be affected in any way, because he actually passed by. Cuba has suffered more, and the infrastructure will be restored there for some time.

A ticket to Thailand for the winter now costs about 100 thousand rubles for two, India is in second place (about 70 thousand for a ticket). Next come United Arab Emirates with an average cost of a tour for two 80 thousand rubles.

On New Year's Eve, some Russians fly to Turkey, even though it's cold there. In the cold season, our compatriots are invariably attracted by all inclusive and even more low prices- three times lower than in summer. For early booking promotions, prices for winter holidays Turkey is 20-30% lower.

According to experts, countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile are also in demand, but mainly among individual tourists.

When to buy tickets

As the flight is loaded, the price of air tickets increases and can change significantly. It is unlikely that seats will become available closer to departure, but it also happens that the flight is not loaded and the airlines arrange sales.

In Soviet times good workers received vouchers to sanatoriums from trade unions. And when a hard worker for some reason refused a ticket, and even at the last moment, they said that it was “burning”. The expression "burning ticket" has taken root and migrated to the modern tourism industry.

Now burning tickets are called, which are sold a few days before departure and at very low prices. There are especially many such proposals during low season. For beach tours- this is early spring and late autumn, and for skiing - summer.

Due to the reduction in the volume of charter flights, there are not so many last-minute tours now. Tour operators try to make commitments in line with projected demand. The hottest offers are at the beginning of the season, when demand is lower and charter flights have already begun.

Veniamin Bondarev

Where do hot tickets come from?

Tour operators before the start tourist season buy or book air tickets and hotel rooms in advance. Formed tours implement travel agencies. But it is impossible to predict exactly how many tickets will be sold.

When they talk about a last-minute ticket, they usually mean the ticket that has a very close departure date. In this regard, it needs to be sold urgently. The price goes down because you have to fill the remaining space on the plane and the hotel and at least earn something.

In order not to lose the money spent on the reservation, tour operators and travel agencies have to sell tours almost at cost. Yes, they will not receive the planned dividends, but they will not remain in the red.

For a tourist, this option is beneficial if he is willing to take risks and wait until the last minute for the sake of a low price, or, for example, if free time for the trip appeared suddenly.

Ilya Otkalo

According to Ilya Otkalo, the law does not contain the concept of a “last minute tour”, so by and large, a “last minute tour” is just a marketing ploy so that a tourist can highlight offers that are lower than the market price. At the same time, by selling cheap tours, travel agencies get grateful loyal customers.

Another reason why a ticket becomes a burning one is the rejection of already purchased tours. For example, a person planned a vacation, booked a ticket in advance, but just a week before departure he fell ill and canceled the trip. So that the place on the plane and the hotel room are not empty, travel agencies reduce the cost of the ticket and try to quickly resell it.

Finally, sometimes last-minute tours appear on the market due to force majeure events in the host country. If the political situation in the state has become aggravated or there has been disaster, the demand for tours to this country is falling sharply. Tourists can only be lured by a significant reduction in prices so that the desire to save money prevails over security considerations.

Features of burning tickets

Voucher to visa-free countries usually becomes burning 2-5 days before departure, and in countries where you need to apply for a visa - 7-10 days before departure. This means that time is running out for everything. Literally in a couple of days you need to have time to pay for the tour, arrange everything Required documents And .
You need to be prepared for the "low season" service. On the one hand, there will be few tourists around, which is a plus for many. But on the other hand, there is also less entertainment and attention from the staff. Do not be surprised if many shops and restaurants are closed, and hotel guide will offer just a couple of excursions.
Travel agencies do not book last-minute trips without the full payment of the client. If, when buying a regular tour, you first pay a part of the amount, and give the rest of the money later, receiving tickets and a voucher, then in the case of a last-minute tour, you will have to pay it immediately and in full. This money is non-refundable.

Thus, a burning ticket is perfect solution for a person who is easy-going, but limited in means. Such a tour is suitable for you if you are unprincipled (if only there was a sea, mountains ...), and you can adjust your vacation to the trip (and not vice versa).

But you should not agree to the first “hot” offer that comes across. Not every voucher, called burning, is such.

How to find a real last minute ticket

When the soul and heart require rest, it is difficult to remain cool at the sight of proposals that begin with the words "Super promotion!" or "The lowest prices of the season."

But the seductive price tag does not guarantee that you really have a burning ticket in front of you. Perhaps the price did not fall, but simply became normal. Travel agencies sometimes deliberately inflate the cost of tours in order to later attract customers with discounts. In order not to become a victim of "attraction unprecedented generosity”, study the prices on the market and find out how much the package of services offered to you in other companies costs without any discounts.

Many travel agencies, in order to stimulate sales, may pass off ordinary tours as last-minute ones. They just take the tours with the lowest price and present them as burning ones.

Ilya Otkalo

Also, sometimes the most ordinary tours with very, very cheap hotels. For example, it can only be a hotel that has just opened and has not yet earned a reputation, or a hotel located far from the sea.

Be sure to check out TopHotels.ru or TripAdvisor.ru and find out what kind of hotel you are offered.

You may not be satisfied with the level of comfort, even if the ticket is generally free.

You can also recognize pseudo-burning tours by other indirect signs.

Prices for accommodation in expensive hotels, belonging to some large network, are usually stable and do not decrease depending on the tourist season. If you are offered inexpensive ticket with a check-in at such a hotel, there is a high probability that the travel agency has cut the package of services somewhere and disguises the tour as a burning one.
During national holidays, during the holidays and vacations there are very few last-minute offers. If you manage to catch a ticket that was turned down, you're in luck. If the travel agency offers a wide range of last-minute tours during the peak season, be careful.
Attend some large-scale foreign event, such as a cool music Festival or a sports tournament, with a last-minute ticket is almost impossible. Flights and hotels for these dates are booked many months in advance. And you should be very careful if the travel agency suddenly makes a "delicious" offer.

You are really offered a burning tour if:
- less than two weeks left before departure (the closer the departure, the lower the price);
- this is a charter flight;
- accommodation is offered not in a city hotel, but in a popular beach hotel where tour operators book blocks of seats.

Veniamin Bondarev

What you need to pay attention to when buying a burning ticket

Package of services

In this, a burning ticket should not differ in any way from a booked one in advance. Flight, transfer, meals, accommodation, insurance, excursions - everything is like in a regular tour in this country V given time. If you are offered a reduced package of services, then most likely they are trying to disguise the ticket as a burning one.

It must be understood that a burning offer may be burning because no one bought it in advance. The hotel may be useless, the flight inconvenient, the food unsatisfactory. Therefore, carefully study the contract and the composition of the proposal and, of course, look at the reviews of the proposed hotel.

Ilya Otkalo

Be sure to ask about the reason for the reduced cost of the tour. And in general, do not hesitate to ask the travel agent questions - time is short, and it is better to immediately clarify all incomprehensible points.

Advice: read the contract carefully. Pay attention to the legal details of the tour operator and travel agency, information about the license to carry out tourism activities, dates of flights, check-in and check-out. Examine the conditions for changing and terminating the agreement, as well as the procedure for filing claims.

Reputation of the travel agency

Almost all travel companies offering hot deals. After all, they all conclude agreements with major tour operators and use their databases. But not all travel agencies conscientiously fulfill their duties, and some sometimes frankly cheat.

In order to find out if the price is really reduced, you can compare tours for the next dates using online tour search engines.

Veniamin Bondarev

To buy a cheap last minute tour, not just cheap tour with disgusting conditions, contact trusted companies that have been operating on the market for a long time. It is best to choose an agency whose services you yourself or your friends have already used. It is also worth looking for reviews on travel forums.

Advice: if in doubt, check the tour operator according to the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators, and the travel agency according to the register of travel agencies.

Visa

Hot tours are, as a rule, tours in popular tourist destinations. This is because the status of a burning ticket gets 7-10 days before departure. It is difficult to get a visa during this time.

Yes, travel agencies work with consulates is usually already debugged. But difficulties with documents can always arise: the wrong certificate, the questionnaire is incorrectly filled out, and so on. And then the client will be denied a visa, he will not fly anywhere and his money will simply burn out.

Advice: to fly to Europe on a last-minute ticket, apply for a Schengen visa in advance on your own.

When is the best time to buy tickets to Turkey? What is an early booking of tours to Turkey, how does it differ from buying last-minute tours, when to order tours. What is the cheapest way to fly to Turkey?

It is profitable to buy tickets to Turkey for the summer in two ways:

resort to early booking;
wait for last minute tickets.

Tours to Turkey are best taken in May - June. European schoolchildren are still studying, so there are fewer tourists and prices are lower. The most inexpensive, but comfortable in terms of weather and sea temperature months: May and September. In July and August, tours to Turkey become more expensive.

Price statistics for tours to Turkey by months

When is the best time to book trips to Turkey?

In January - March, travel agencies really make tangible discounts when buying a tour for the summer, but in most cases this is a “discount on a cape”. Those. the tour operator artificially inflates the price and makes a "discount" on it. Closer to May-June, prices begin to fall to adequate values.

It makes sense to book early if:

you know exactly the vacation dates for summer or autumn 2018, and you will not be able to move them;
you want to check into a certain hotel and are afraid that closer to the season all the rooms will be sold out. This is how it usually happens. And prices for a particular popular hotel, as a rule, grow in season.

As a result, early booking is always a lottery. You don't know if you can go on vacation in six months. Will tour prices really go up? And they can become 1.5 times cheaper for your hotel, and it will be a shame.

Usually, early booking starts in January and ends in April, with some tour operators at the end of February or in March.

Last minute tours are for you if:

you are not tied to a strict schedule - it does not make much difference to you when to fly to rest;
you are not going to spend a lot of time on the territory of the hotel and will return to the room only to spend the night;
Price is the deciding factor for you.

Conclusion: when is it more profitable to buy tours to Turkey?

If you are going on vacation with your family and small children, it is important for you to get to good hotel with a proven service, then catch discounts on tours to Turkey with early bookings in January - April.

If the hotel is not important to you, then wait for the moment when last-minute tours appear. The closer to the day of departure, the more prices fall.

It would be difficult for me to answer this question unambiguously. There are several aspects to consider here.

Firstly, if you have already decided on a place of rest and definitely aimed to spend it in a pre-selected hotel, which for some reason is especially pleasant and sweet for you, then in this case it is better to book a tour in advance, preferably three or four months in advance. Then you will definitely spend your vacation exactly where you planned, and no annoying overlays will spoil it. If you order tours a few months before the start of the trip, then, as a rule, in this case, many tour operators offer them at an early booking promotion, which implies a 20-30 percent discount from the regular price. So we flew to the Dominican Republic, having bought a tour four months before departure and saving at least 30 thousand for two.

Secondly, if you don’t care where to relax, you don’t have any special preferences for any place or hotel, and the employer has nothing against spontaneously letting you go on vacation, then you can safely take a ticket for a week or even for 2-3 days before departure (unless, of course, your stay in the country of your choice does not require visa processing or you already have ready visa). But here, too, there can be pitfalls: there are more than enough places in hotels, but there are no flights. We didn’t have a vacation like that a couple of times: once there were no empty seats on flights to Tunisia, another time we waited until the last last minute trips to Turkey, and when they appeared, it turned out that all the seats on the return flights were occupied, and we didn’t We get back to work on time. When buying a ticket almost close to the date of rest, one must be prepared that the choice of hotels and inns will be very limited, hotels are usually on fire, where tourists find many shortcomings in food, service, and location. If you are ready to endure some inconvenience for the sake of saving your budget, then last-minute tours will be a good option for you.

And one more thing, why it is impossible to say unequivocally which tour (purchased in advance or just a few days before departure) will be cheaper: the price of vouchers from many tour operators is directly dependent on the dollar or euro against the ruble. And since the currency market is extremely unstable, and the ruble is crawling up and down, and it is almost impossible to predict its growth or fall with absolute probability, it will be very difficult to predict which tour you will be able to save more on. Therefore, the well-known statement that last-minute trips are definitely more profitable does not always turn out to be true. Sometimes a tour purchased on an early booking actually turns out to be cheaper than the same tour purchased on the eve of departure.