Dmitry Gorin Advisor to the head of the Federal Tourism Agency. On the pros and cons of introducing a resort fee in the Russian regions. In winter - in warm countries

The State Duma approved the introduction of a resort tax in the Crimea, Altai, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, for starters, as a temporary experiment, which will be held from May 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022. The fee will be 50 rubles. per day of stay in 2018 with a subsequent increase to 100 rubles, while this does not apply to those who live in the private sector, as well as certain categories of beneficiaries and children. In the event of a decrease in the tourist flow, the experiment may be suspended.

There is a resort fee in many countries around the world, where it is mostly referred to as a tourist tax. It is more a question of its effectiveness, of understanding by tourists what these funds will be spent on and what positive changes will occur in the tourism infrastructure.

It should be noted that it was adopted in the third reading and adopted subject to amendments, the views of the tourism industry, which, fortunately, the legislators listened to. The fee will not take effect from January 1, as originally planned, but from May 1, 2018, there is the possibility of differentiating or canceling the fee at the regional level.

I believe that the fee should not be charged for a daily stay, but should be a fixed amount for the entire period. As an experiment, public associations are also involved in the expert council on the resort fee, and we will express our comments and suggestions during the experiment after the fee begins to function.

How will this affect domestic tourism? In any case, this is an upward price change for tourists, including individual tourists who will stay in hotels or small accommodation facilities. 50 rub. per day, taking into account the average travel duration of 14 days and the average number of tourists in a tour package - three, since vacations are usually family. There are exceptions for children, but this is an increase in cost.

We must pay tribute to the fact that this year, due to the adjustment of sales volumes in the domestic market, prices do not increase, we are now even noting their decline. This suggests that competition in the market has increased, Turkey has returned, other destinations also offer subsidies and discounts to Russian customers who travel abroad.

It must be understood that if the balance of price and quality does not match, then this will lead to a decrease in the number of trips to some extent. However, when viewed from the tourism industry, the arrival of package tours in the tourism market may offset these fees to some extent, because transportation on a charter flight and a guarantee in a hotel from a tour operator is much more interesting than an individual purchase of a tour.

And if we talk about prices, we make a rating of average prices, and Russia now offers the lowest prices, even if these are 2-3 star properties, but in any case, if we set ourselves the goal of compiling a price rating, then the most economical accommodations are offers in Russia. In any case, this is an experiment, it is now legally confirmed and fixed, the results can be summed up already by the results of the first season.

On January 10, a meeting was held at Rostourism with the participation of the management of Turpomoshch and several leading tour operators. Dmitry Gorin, CEO of VIP Service, told Vestnik ATOR what tour operators and representatives of the federal tourism authorities were talking about in Rostourism.

On Tuesday, January 10, the Rostourism discussed the implementation of the new provisions of the law on tourism. Who attended the meeting? What questions were raised?

The meeting at the Federal Tourism Agency was held with the participation of a representative of the Ministry of Culture, the management of Turpomoshch and some Russian tour operators. The main issue at the moment was discussed - the implementation of the law "On the Fundamentals of Tourism in the Russian Federation", which entered into force on January 1, 2017. The main task facing tour operators now is to fulfill the requirements of the law by January 31. This, in particular, is about the fact that tour operators must make transfers to the personal liability fund. A new version of the Turpomoshch website has already been launched, where tour operators can create and open their personal account through their “personal account”.

- Was it discussed at the meeting how many tour operators have already opened personal accounts?

Unfortunately, many market participants are still in some prostration. The statistics of the first days shows low activity of travel agencies. Perhaps someone has not yet had time to attend to this issue. Others took a wait-and-see attitude. According to our information, no more than 20 companies have done this, but the figure is constantly changing. In total, about 750 companies operate in the field of outbound tourism.

The Federal Tourism Agency warned that if tour operators do not have time to bring their activities in line with the new law, they risk being excluded from the register. The exemption is expected to start on January 31st. Therefore, on the part of Rostourism and Tourist Assistance, a request was made not to postpone the implementation of the requirements of the law until the last days. Call-center "Turpomoshchi" is working, accounts can and should be opened.

During the meeting, a proposal was made - to "Tourist Assistance" to publish on the website a detailed instruction on the actions of the tour operator to open a personal responsibility fund account.

There are small operators who could immediately form a fund in the amount of 7% of the total price of the tourist product. In this regard, they are waiting for clarifications from Rostourism and the Ministry of Culture, could they use this option to form a personal responsibility fund this year.

The bottom line is that, according to the law, if the size of the fund becomes maximum and amounts to at least 7% of the total price of the tourist product, then financial security of liability is not required. And from that moment on, the transfer of contributions to this fund ceases. The decision to release the tour operator from contributions for the next calendar year is made by Tourist Assistance in agreement with the Federal Tourism Agency in the manner prescribed by the Ministry of Culture.

Now, according to information from tour operators, many people have problems not with the formation of a personal responsibility fund, but with the execution of a financial guarantee. This issue existed before, and has not been resolved to this day. The ability to fill the personal responsibility fund to the maximum could help solve this problem.

- In which banks are personal accounts of tour operators opened?

This information is provided in the "personal account" on the site "Tourist assistance". According to the information we have, this is VTB Bank

- And what about the issuance of financial guarantees? You noted that this is one of the main problems now.

The meeting discussed the issue of the amount of financial support for tour operators. Once again, attention was focused on its change in 2017. According to the Law, in the field of outbound tourism, the financial guarantee of the tour operator is 5% (and not 3%, as it was before) of the total price of the tourist product, but not less than 50 million rubles. This rule applies to tour operators who sent more than 10 thousand tourists last year, with a total price of a tourist product of more than 40 million rubles.

Those operators who did not carry out activities in the field of outbound tourism last year must also be insured in the amount of at least 50 million rubles. All these details are described in great detail in the memo,

Dmitry Gorin, adviser to the head of Rostourism, told RT where the Russians will spend the New Year holidays in 2018. According to the statistics of early booking tours, citizens will go on vacation to Sochi, Moscow and St. Petersburg. There is also a high demand for trips to Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Veliky Ustyug. Thailand, Vietnam, India, the United Arab Emirates and Israel are popular among those who have chosen a foreign vacation.

According to Gorin, the cost of travel this year has not changed much: a seven-day vacation in Russia, including the road, will cost at least 25 thousand, abroad - 35-40 thousand rubles per person. The peculiarity of this season, he claims, was that Russian tourists began to plan their holidays in advance.

“If last year they bought a tour 2-3 weeks before the trip, then this year - at least 1.5 months in advance. This is a good trend. European travelers plan and book trips a year in advance. This allows you to significantly save the budget. Don't be afraid. For travel companies, the risks are insured by the social responsibility fund, financial insurance and emergency assistance fund, ”Gorin explained.

He also said that in recent years the demand for tourism has returned to pre-crisis levels - in particular, this is evidenced by an increase in passenger traffic by 20%.

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In winter - in warm countries

Most Russians choose domestic destinations, says Tatyana Dmitrova, head of the professional travel portal Turdom.ru. The upcoming long New Year's weekend will also be no exception. Most citizens who go on a trip will spend their holidays in Russia, she says.

“Sanatoriums, boarding houses, rest houses, domestic resort areas will be loaded, judging by the results of early booking. If we compare the flows of tourists, Russia will account for the bulk of the volume, but this is at the expense of independent travelers. As a rule, they go abroad in an organized manner. Foreign destinations are in demand, especially warm countries,” she noted.

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Of the original proposals, the head of the portal Turdom.ru notes North Korea. Eight days in a four-star hotel in North Korea will cost about 150 thousand rubles. There are many new proposals for China as well, she added.

Dmitrova also explained why Crimea was not included in the list of destinations in demand during the New Year holidays. According to her, people go to the peninsula for a beach holiday, so the main tourist flow is there in summer and autumn. There will be demand for the January holidays, but already much lower, she stated.

“It is very difficult to compete with the Krasnodar Territory, in particular with Sochi, which can offer a very high quality ski holiday: good hotels and slopes,” Dmitrova said.

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"Sochi - for every pocket"

The capital of the 2014 Olympic Games has become the absolute leader in terms of attendance both in winter and in summer for several years in a row. This is facilitated by a combination of well-developed infrastructure, convenient transport accessibility and the region's unique climate, Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov told RT.

In 2016, Sochi was visited by a record number of tourists - 6.5 million people, and by the end of this year the statistics will be even higher, he says. Considering that competition has increased significantly in connection with the return to the Turkish tourism market, the results are very indicative. According to Pakhomov's forecasts, 2018 will also be successful - tours at the beginning of the year are already actively sold out.

“We are already seeing quite a serious demand for the New Year and Christmas holidays. Percent 70% sold out offers in Krasnaya Polyana. Booking is actively underway at the hotels of the Olympic Park, in Adler. We have something to offer. In winter, first of all, skiing is in demand. But besides this, under the Open South program, 65 sanatoriums operate all year round, which invite more than 500,000 people for treatment and rehabilitation,” the mayor said.

The city also maintains its position thanks to a competitive pricing policy, Pakhomov says.

“Sochi is for every pocket. And there will be no price increase, I promise you that for sure. Everyone understands that now is not the time to raise prices,” the head of Sochi assured.

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You should not try to reduce the cost of a trip by refusing travel insurance, says Svetlana Gusar, vice president of the National Union of Liability Insurers (NULI). This is especially true for ski lovers.

“If you plan to engage in active sports, such as skiing, be sure to notify the insurance company about this. The contract makes a corresponding note. Such a policy is somewhat more expensive, but it allows you to receive compensation if an injury occurs while playing sports. Otherwise, the insurance company will not cover these risks,” she said.

The cost of insurance depends on the number of days of travel and the age of the tourist. On average, according to Hussar's calculations, a voucher will cost about $30 if the trip lasts no more than ten days.