PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, February 26. /TASS/. New state incentives, like subsidized chartered flights, could drop costs of tours to the Far East, Vice President of the Russian Association of Tour Operators Alexander Sirchenko said.
Costs of most tours to the Far East for up to five days begin from 100,000 rubles ($1,078) per person. More than 50% of trips to Kamchatka begin from 100 or 200 thousand rubles.
"First of all, it is necessary to subsidize chartered flights, <…> and the mechanism should be more focused, especially for the Far East's districts," he said.
Increasing costs affect the attractiveness of tours to the Far East. "When we launched first chartered flights to Sakhalin, a week-long tour there began from 40,000 rubles ($431) and it included a return flight and accommodation for seven days plus 2-3 sightseeing tours. Nowadays, a tour of the kind will cost about 100,000 rubles. Therefore, operators have to split this tourist product into shorter ones," the expert said.
The Kamchatka Region's tourism authority told TASS that as of late 2023 visitors to the peninsula were mostly individual tourists, who book sightseeing tours on the spot. For their convenience, the region will organize a marketplace - a digital platform offering popular products.