The Russian authorities returned to the idea of creating a state tour operator – the well-known deputy Vitaly Milonov proposed to establish a state or private-state service (agency) to provide services to the population in the field of international tourism. Tour operators, according to the “Izvestia” article, criticized this idea and offered some smarter options where the state could take the initiative in terms of tourism development.
With the proposal to create a state tour operator, MP Milonov turned to the head of Rostourism, Zarina Doguzova. “The sector of foreign recreation now, after the departure of Western companies and services from the Russian tourism market, is a promising direction for the organization of new enterprises providing similar services. In this regard, it seems appropriate to establish a state or private-state service (agency) to provide services to the population in the field of international tourism. This organization could take on guaranteed obligations regarding the organization of trips, accommodation of tourists at foreign resorts,” said the deputy in his address. According to him, the advantages of the project include the fact that the participation of the state is “a strict guarantee of the provision of services in full”, and the countries for trips could be chosen based on the criteria of safety and friendliness towards Russians.
Turbiznes reminded us that the idea is not new, but it is not very popular – as the representatives of the tour market commented, Milonov has already managed to become famous for similar initiatives, but they all end in nothing. For one reason, tourism is unprofitable. “The profitability of the tour operator business cannot be called high. And the state, if it wants to take part in the life of outbound tourism, needs not to open companies, but to financially support tour operators that are already operating,” the representatives of the travel market assessed.
At the same time, they emphasized that the reliability of the tourism business was tested by extreme conditions – there were no high-profile mass bankruptcies throughout the pandemic and other trials, although the situation, it would seem, was at its disposal. monopolist on the tour market. I believe that this initiative of Milonov is rather populist and the state is not in the hands to deal with the development of outbound international tourism”, – they say on the travel market. According to experts, the consequences of monopoly can only be an increase in prices for services and a decrease in service.
Russia, in turn, is urged to pay attention to those issues where its fate is needed – in particular, in the matter of protecting tourists, ensuring the safety of tourists vacationing abroad, and including the return of tourists from abroad.