All news

Outbound tourism in Russia to lose up to $11 mln due to suspended sales of tours to China

Inbound tourism in Russia may lose up to $100 mln, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia CEO

MOSCOW, January 30. /TASS/. Russia’s outbound travel business may lose from 500 mln rubles ($7.9 mln) to 700 mln rubles ($11 mln) due to suspended sales of package tours to China unless the situation stabilizes by March, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia Maya Lomidze told reporters on Thursday.

"Losses of outbound tourism will total around 500-700 mln rubles unless the situation stabilizes by March," she said, adding that "around 30,000-32,000 package tours have been booked and partially or fully paid."

Losses of inbound tourism

Russia’s inbound tourism may lose up to $100 mln unless the Chinese tourist flow suspended due to the spread of the coronavirus-induced pneumonia recovers by the end of March, the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia revealed.

"March sees the peak of bookings for the high summer season. We can speak about estimated losses of up to $100 mln unless the situation stabilizes by the end of March," Lomidze said.

Russian tour operators put group tours from China on hold starting January 28 as the Chinese authorities temporarily restricted group tours to other countries as part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus-induced pneumonia.

Meanwhile, it was expected earlier that over 130,000 Chinese tourists would visit Russia in the first quarter of 2020, CEO of the World Without Borders tour association that unites almost 200 companies working with the Chinese market Alexander Agamov told TASS.

In 2019, according to preliminary estimates, around 1.27 mln organized tourists from China arrived in Russia, according to a statement of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia available on its website. Most organized tourists from China visit Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Primorsky Region and the Amur Region.

On December 31, 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. On January 7, Chinese experts identified the 2019-nCoV coronavirus as the cause of the disease.

According to recent data, over 7,700 cases of patients infected with the virus and 170 deaths have been confirmed in China. Coronavirus cases have also been reported in 18 coutnries worldwide. The WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of national concern and sent experts to the country.