Russian outbound tourism almost catching up with China

Russian outbound tourism market is booming with travelers who are increasingly booking trips abroad, and hotels and touring companies are working overtime to win them over. In 2012, Russian tourists spent $43 billion abroad — making them

the fifth highest-spending segment of the travel industry.

Last year, nearly 40 million Russians traveled overseas (only 8 million journeyed in 2006). That number is likely to expand; Russians are the world’s second-fastest growing group of tourists after the Chinese.  The supercharged growth can be attributed to a steadily growing middle class (projected to rise 16% between now and 2020).

According to a hotel site the number of nights stayed in shared accommodation facilities, most of the tourists originated from Romania (22%). They were followed by Russians (11.5%), Ukraine (9.7%), Germany (6.2%), Italy (5.3%), and the USA (4.9%), Turkey (4.8%), Poland (2.8%), Great Britain (2.7%), France (2.4%) and others.

The Russian visitor explosion has been so fast that some hoteliers still haven’t quite picked up, a booking site that recently released a global survey on Russian tourists said.

The InterContinental Hotel Group is one company that invested early and heavily on their Russian guests, introducing Russian-language websites, call centers and mobile apps.

Russia is now equivalent to France tourists and growing almost as fast as China. At the Jumeirah Carlton Towers, special menus cater to Russian tastes and Russian-language shopping guides help guests navigate the city’s department stores. At the Corinthia Hotel, Russian-speaking butlers have been added to the staff. The bar bill benefits quite significantly when Russians are traveling. Russian guests tend to spend 20% to 30% above the average room rate.

Russian tourists on their visit to Phan Thiet’s Mui Ne, the province welcomed 291,000 foreign tourists, including 80,000 Russian vacationing tourists in the first 10 months of 2013, according to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan Province.

Anh Duong Travel Company will bring about 150,000 Russian visitors to Vietnam since last November to this year’s April.

Turkey’s Pegas Touristik Company, recently opened two years ago, received highest ranking from Russian visitors to Binh Thuan.