Inbound tour operators report a flurry of cancellations of tours to Russia from foreign tourists. “Entire chains are withdrawing applications for April, May, summer. We, unfortunately, have to state that the summer season is on the verge of collapse. The managers in our reservations department just sit and sob. I think, after us, the hotels that were waiting for foreign tourists will sob, ”said Marina, the head of the tour operator.
According to her, cancellations from tourists from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Southeast Asia went from Thursday, February 24. Obviously, they are directly related to the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The hope for the revival of the industry among tour operators appeared after the exhibition in Madrid. “We saw that Europe is waking up, we noticed a great interest in Russia. But, unfortunately, politics has driven the final nail into the coffin of inbound tourism. Summer will be tough. So far, everything is sad, ”added the expert.
As the head of the tour operator Sergey notes, there were few actual sales, the bidding campaign had just begun. A lot of requests were received for the calculation of the cost of tours. The next trips have been announced by some foreign tour operators for mid-April. “Now everything is cancelled. Our tourism industry is the world. During the war, our profession does not exist. It is meaningless,” he states with bitter regret.