The sharp devaluation of the ruble dealt a severe blow to Russian tourists traveling to Turkey and Egypt. The Turkish publication Turizm Guncel quotes the estimates of Russian experts from the tourism market, who state that these countries are experiencing the main losses of tourist flow.
First of all, the publication quotes the assessment of ATOR experts, who reported that the cost of tours abroad has already increased by 7%. As the vice-president of the Association of Tour Operators stated, Artur Muradyan, CEO of the Space Travel tour operator, emphasized that changes in currency rates affect all foreign destinations. However, the countries where package tours are sold en masse will suffer the most — primarily Turkey and Egypt.
“The increase in the exchange rate will become an additional difficulty for tourists, especially from the regions. Most tourists are familiar with such prices from more expensive destinations, such as Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic. Tourists expect cheaper tours from Turkey and Egypt,” he explained.
The expert also noted that the cost of tours abroad has increased by 50% over the past year. “The ruble lost 6% in one week and 60% last year. Of course, this affected the cost of the tour product, because everything is regulated by the exchange rate. Prices would be even higher if tour operators did not reduce the nominal cost of tours in dollars and euros. Now, unfortunately, these efforts have disappeared in vain with the devaluation of the ruble,” he emphasized.