Tour operators are refusing last-minute tours. Russian tour operators have refused to sell last-minute tours due to the crisis. What you need to know about last-minute tours before you buy a tour
Russian tour operators have almost completely abandoned the last-minute tour format, writes Kommersant. If previously last-minute tours accounted for at least 15%, market participants say, now they are practically non-existent
Photo: Sergey Savostyanov / TASS
Tour operator offers have almost ceased to include the so-called last-minute tour format, writes Kommersant with reference to market participants. The reasons are the crisis in the tourism market that has been going on for two years.
According to Igor Blinov, a representative of the OnlineTour company, in 2014 last-minute tours accounted for about 15% of sales, but now they are practically non-existent. The price of a tour purchased a few days before departure is now 30-40% higher than in advance sales, and not vice versa, he says.
Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, speaks about similar indicators. According to her data, in 2014 last-minute tours accounted for 15-20% of sales, and now - a maximum of 3-5%. The volume of last-minute offers is indeed declining, notes Level.Travel CEO Dmitry Malyutin, but last summer agents managed to find such tours to Greece, Crete and domestic resorts.
Among the reasons for the disappearance of last-minute tours are the changing rules of the game in the market, says Igor Blinov. According to him, operators have begun to increasingly use regular transportation in package offers. They also prefer not to immediately buy out significant blocks of hotel rooms and refuse unreasonable dumping to increase their customer base.
Now the concept of “last minute tours” carries more of a marketing load, he notes.
Tatyana Belova, director of the BSI Group agency network development department, also associates the optimization of flight programs of tour operators and their guarantees when purchasing seats with the refusal of last-minute tours. Last minute tours, she notes, are isolated offers: for example, if a client cancels a trip at the last minute due to emergency circumstances.
Another reason Lomidze names is the lack of mass tourist destinations on the current market - for example, Egypt. Another reason, she says, is the decreased commission of travel agents: previously, on last-minute tours, its size could reach up to 30%, now it is no more than 12-13%.
In the coming summer, the number of last-minute tours in the portfolios of tour operators may increase, taking into account the demand for mass seasonal destinations during this period, Lomidze admits. The growth of the segment may begin after returning to the Egyptian mass market, suggests Dmitry Malyutin.
It is no longer worth expecting mass dumping from tour operators, which in any case implies an increase in the supply of last-minute tours, says Anna Podgornaya, general director of Pegas Touristik. According to her, the market has changed a lot and companies are no longer willing to take such risks and work at a loss as they did before 2014.
Due to the crisis and changes in the market structure, Russian tour operators have completely abandoned the sale of last-minute tours. This opinion was voiced by a number of media outlets, citing data from representatives of the tourism sector. However, experts interviewed by a correspondent of the TURPROM information group do not agree with this - last-minute tours, or in Western terminology - “last minute bookig” tours, have not gone away, although their share has indeed decreased somewhat. However, this spring, experts are sure, the market may be hit by a new wave of last-minute tours due to dumping wars, which some tour operators are likely to unleash on Turkish and Egyptian destinations.
Thus, according to Kommenrsant, due to the fact that tour operators are increasingly creating package tours not on the basis of their own charters, but on the basis of regular flights, thereby optimizing their flight programs, the need to sell trips at last-minute prices has actually disappeared - risks for unrealized tours are transferred to the shoulders of the airlines. Thus, Igor Blinov, a representative of the travel agency OnlineTour, notes that if before 2014 last-minute tours accounted for about 15% of sales, now they are practically non-existent. “The corresponding requests from clients remained, but it is almost impossible to find anything based on them: the cost of a tour purchased a few days before departure is now 30-40% higher than in the pre-sale, and not vice versa,” the newspaper quotes him .
However, according to other experts, last-minute offers have not disappeared anywhere. “Now is the low season, so there are certainly very few such offers. But in the market as a whole, there are definitely no fewer of them. And when Turkey begins in early April, and charters fly there en masse, there will be no fewer last-minute tours than in previous years. After all, everyone understands perfectly well that the first thing that tour operators will do to win the largest market share is to lay out tariffs of 299 or 399 dollars, and everything will return to normal,” says Sergei Samokhvalov, director of development of the network of travel agencies at Global Travel.
At the same time, the expert noted that last year there were indeed slightly fewer such offers than usual, since there were no two mass trends on the market at once. This same year, according to Sergei Samokhvalov, those wishing to relax in Greece, Tunisia, and even on the Black Sea coast of Russia will definitely not be left without last-minute offers - prices for Turkey will drag down prices for all other popular destinations.
Sergei Tolchin, sales director of the tour operator “”, also disagrees with the fact that last-minute tours are becoming a thing of the past. According to him, the very appearance of last-minute tours in companies’ lineups is primarily related to the relationship between supply and demand at the current moment. For example, if there is no excess transportation, and the balance of supply and demand is optimal, then there can be no last-minute tours in principle. When there is an oversupply of transportation on the market, inexpensive or very cheap vacation options arise, which primarily attract tourists who previously did not plan to go on vacation due to lack of funds. “People see that a week-long all-inclusive trip abroad is being sold for the price of two nights in a recreation center near Moscow without meals. As a result, it turns out that this is not an organically formed demand, but a situation artificially created by the market. That is, it is impossible to say that last-minute tours are disappearing in principle. This is a seasonal phenomenon, which may be associated with the current economic and political situation, correct planning, weather phenomena, and so on,” the expert explained.
Deputy President “” also notes that last-minute offers appear after the fact, so it is incorrect to say that they will not be available in the upcoming season: “It is possible that there may be an oversupply of transportation in such directions as Greece or Turkey. That is, until the season has started, we cannot say that there will be no last-minute offers.” According to the expert, if companies are unable to fill their charters, fire will certainly not be avoided.
However, according to Sergei Golov, president of the Union of Travel Agencies (STA), against the backdrop of the crisis, tour operators have begun to take a more detailed approach to planning their flight programs, as a result of which the number of last-minute tours may actually be reduced. “Tour operators have reduced the flight program according to their financial capabilities and limitations. After all, what are last-minute tours is an overabundance of transportation on the market, which you need to pay for out of your own pocket. Often, the cost of such a tour includes only the cost of the flight, and the tour operator actually subsidizes accommodation, meals and transfers to the tourist from his own pocket. However, during the crisis, the profitability of work became a critical condition for survival, as a result, tour operators began to formulate their programs more competently, and the number of last-minute tours on the market decreased,” he said.
Attitudes towards last-minute tours vary. Some fly just like that, while others bypass, making the sign of the Orthodox cross. We tried to tell why tour operators conduct such generosity attractions, and what the desire to save on vacation can result in.
Where do last minute tours come from?
What do sellers do when a “doctorate” comes to an end? That's right - they write “promotion” and reduce prices. It's the same with last-minute travel packages. The tour operator buys seats on planes and hotels in advance, and when there are still rooms available at the start of the tour, he sells them cheaper. The company disposes of unclaimed vouchers at cost and does not incur losses.
Last minute tours are a fair deal. The price decreases approximately 10 days before departure. If your suitcases are always ready and you agree to go on vacation at any time, this option is for you. A good way to save a few thousand rubles and visit the country of your dreams.
But there are nuances.
What's the catch with last minute tours?
Like many good proposals, there are some "buts" here. You may not know the truth why the tour costs so little. Cases that the tour operator is happy to report:
- tourists canceled at the last moment;
- selling out seats before the start of the season;
- the tour operator incorrectly calculated the demand and bought extra seats.
But when the offer is really good, there will always be buyers for it. Sometimes seats become dramatically cheaper for other reasons.
What to pay attention to
Season. The main reason for low prices for tours is the lack of demand. This happens when the resort has bad weather, rainy season, hurricanes and earthquakes. Before paying, try to find out more about the country you are flying to. Read the news, weather reports and, just in case, check if there are military operations nearby - this can also happen.
Departure city. Most last minute tours are tours from Moscow. Before you buy, calculate how much it will cost you to get to the capital and back. Add to this the risks that a long journey brings: you can miss your plane, you need to book a hotel in Moscow, there is little time to get ready. Even if you save money, you can spend a lot more nerves.
Amount of days. Sometimes last minute trips are unclaimed tours. These are short trips of 3 days/4 nights or 7 days, of which one will be spent on the flight, and two more on acclimatization. This cannot be called a complete rest. In addition, a short tour will not cost much less than a week or 10-day trip - and good deals during the season with such terms are difficult to find. It happens that a short vacation of 3-4 days is reduced due to unforeseen circumstances - when you buy last-minute trips, anything can happen.
Reputation of the travel agency and tour operator. Avoid fortune systems and lotteries with similar names. Especially during the season and without a specific hotel. Often a tour announces a good hotel with a high rating, but with the possibility of replacing it with another one of the same star rating. Make sure there is no such clause in your contract. Otherwise, upon arrival, you may be accommodated in a hotel with poor food, dirty linen and insects in the rooms. An irresponsible travel agent may fail to warn the traveler of these risks, and the holiday could be ruined.
Lack of choice. A last minute trip can be a real adventure. If you buy a tour “for luck”, then there is simply no time to get acquainted with the features of the hotel and its suitability for a family holiday. The decision to purchase must be made quickly, otherwise someone else will outbid the great offer.
Where is the best place to go on a last minute tour?
Despite some risk, last-minute tours remain the most popular way to travel cheap. In fairness, there are much fewer bad reviews of tours than enthusiastic recommendations from tourists.
When searching for tours, it is better to bet on visa-free countries or those where a visa is issued upon arrival - Turkey, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, UAE. A last-minute holiday in Europe is suitable for those who have a long-term visa in their passport. The rest may simply not have time to complete the documents and greatly risk their vacation.
Choose safe countries for your vacation where there is no risk of getting sick. For example, if you are planning to go to India for the first time, experienced travelers recommend up to 10 vaccinations: against typhoid fever, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, and meningitis. This applies to adults and children. In the case of a last-minute ticket, you may not have time to get vaccinated. Of course, the risk of infection is not too high, but “Shiva protects the careful.”
The farther and more exotic the country, the more difficult and longer the preparations for the flight. When traveling for African exotics, you need to study local eating habits, learn about the poisonous inhabitants of the seas, rivers, and oceans, and buy essential medicines in advance. Medical insurance does not protect in all cases, and treatment on the other side of the planet will be incredibly expensive for a foreigner.
Important tip: If you find a good offer that suits you, don't hesitate. In just a couple of hours, someone else will definitely buy a profitable ticket.
Alternative - early booking
Whatever one may say, last-minute trips are to some extent roulette for the lucky ones. Tours at reduced prices are available to those who are ready to go abroad at any time, are not tied to deadlines for submitting reports and do not wait for permission from their superiors to go on vacation. When you are used to planning everything, then such a vacation will probably disappoint. If not the hotel and flight, then the impossibility of planning everything.
If you are not one of those who are going on a week-long trip abroad in five minutes, it is better to book your trips in advance. This saves you up to 30% of the cost of the tour, which is comparable to discounts on last-minute tours. Don't wait until the last minute - no one guarantees that last-minute tours will appear. Tourists will redeem all their reservations, force majeure will not happen in the country, no one will refuse a trip at the last moment - and that’s all, there are no normal last-minute travel packages.
The first screen is prices for tours to India for the next week. The second screen is the same “early booking” tour 40 days before departure. All dates are high season, the price difference is about 24,000 for two.
Choose a tour 3-4 months before vacation, make an advance payment of 50%, and the rest a couple of weeks before departure. This way you are guaranteed to get a comfortable stay in the chosen hotel, at the right time and with a convenient flight.
If previously they accounted for up to 20% of sales, now we are talking about isolated cases, tour operators told the publication.
“According to market participants, against the backdrop of a two-year crisis in the tourism market, the so-called format of last-minute tours - trips sold less than a week before the expected departure and offering a significant discount from the original price - has almost disappeared from the offers of tour operators.
Thus, Igor Blinov, a representative of the OnlineTour company, notes that if before 2014 last-minute tours accounted for about 15% of sales, now they are practically non-existent. “The corresponding requests from clients remained, but it is almost impossible to find anything based on them: the cost of a tour purchased a few days before departure is now 30-40% higher than in the pre-sale, and not vice versa,” he explains.
Similar figures are cited by Maya Lomidze, executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia. According to her estimates, if in 2014 last-minute tours accounted for 15-20% of sales, now we are talking about a maximum of 3-5%. Level.Travel CEO Dmitry Malyutin also notes a reduction in the volume of last-minute offers. But, according to him, even last summer agents were able to find such tours to Greece, Crete and inland resorts.
The sharp rise in popularity of the last-minute tour format began in the 2000s. The segment reached its peak in the summer of 2014. Then, preparing for the summer season, many large tour operators overestimated the future demand of organized travelers for trips to Greece. Subsequently, without a significant increase in sales, many companies were forced to reduce prices.
All this provoked massive dumping in the tourism market, which was later called one of the main reasons for the series of bankruptcies that occurred in the summer of 2014 and the subsequent crisis of confidence in the organized tourism market.
Igor Blinov names the changing rules of the game in the market among the reasons for the disappearance of hot tours. “Operators now more often use regular transportation in package offers, prefer not to immediately buy out large blocks of hotel rooms and refuse unreasonable dumping to increase the customer base,” he explains. The expert suggests that now the concept of “last minute tours” carries more of a marketing load. Director of the BSI Group agent network development department Tatyana Belova also associates the abandonment of the format with the optimization of tour operators’ flight programs and their guarantees for the purchase of seats. “Nowadays, single offers can be “burnt”, for example, if the client canceled the trip at the last moment due to emergency circumstances. And in order to return part of the amount to him, the operator or agents can resell this trip as a last minute one,” she explains.
Maya Lomidze adds to the list of reasons the absence of mass tourist destinations on the current market, for example Egypt, and the decreased commission of travel agents: if earlier on hot tours its size could reach up to 30%, now we are talking about no more than 12-13%.
At the same time, Ms. Lomidze admits that this coming summer the number of last-minute offers in the portfolios of tour operators may increase, taking into account the demand for mass seasonal destinations during this period. Dmitry Malyutin suggests that the growth of the segment may begin after returning to the Egyptian mass market. The general director of Pegas Touristik, Anna Podgornaya, has a different attitude: it is no longer worth expecting mass dumping from tour operators, which in any case implies an increase in the supply of last-minute tours. The market has changed a lot, explains Ms. Podgornaya, and companies are no longer ready to take such risks and work at a loss as they did before 2014,” writes
