Russian tour operating companies that specialize in bus tours to Europe departuring from Brest have co-coordinated group railway fees for tourists. The cheapest Moscow-Brest ticket should be available for not less than 60Euro, tour operators believe. Therefore, cost of a standard bus tour departuring from Brest (135Euro) will increase by 20 Euro on average.
According to tour operators, interviewed by a BANKO correspondent, the analysis of sales at the beginning of May stimulated the necessity of price co-ordination. It appeared that owing the growth of ruble tariffs of Russian Railways tour operators found themselves in the situation when market price of railway tickets was lower than ticket cost for tour operating companies. Thus, Dmitry Fomintsev, General Director of Tourtrans-Voyage, stated as follows: ‘it is always difficult to be the first to raise prices; therefore we decided to act together. The outcome is to be seen’.
Furthermore, Olga Sanaeva, Director of Ancor Travel Company, added that tour operators negotiated both transport and visa issues. For example, they made a decision to meet French Consul: ‘we had hard May Holidays because of the strike of the French Embassy. At the moment we do not experience problems but they might arise in June and August when the tourist flow from Russia to France traditionally increases’, explained Sanaeva. Meanwhile, according to Artem Kozlovsky, Marketing Director of Inters Travel Company, the total cost of French and British visa has increased – 170 Euro instead of 140 Euro– due to the increased cost of visa issuing service in the British Embassy.
According to tour operators, interviewed by a BANKO correspondent, the analysis of sales at the beginning of May stimulated the necessity of price co-ordination. It appeared that owing the growth of ruble tariffs of Russian Railways tour operators found themselves in the situation when market price of railway tickets was lower than ticket cost for tour operating companies. Thus, Dmitry Fomintsev, General Director of Tourtrans-Voyage, stated as follows: ‘it is always difficult to be the first to raise prices; therefore we decided to act together. The outcome is to be seen’.
Furthermore, Olga Sanaeva, Director of Ancor Travel Company, added that tour operators negotiated both transport and visa issues. For example, they made a decision to meet French Consul: ‘we had hard May Holidays because of the strike of the French Embassy. At the moment we do not experience problems but they might arise in June and August when the tourist flow from Russia to France traditionally increases’, explained Sanaeva. Meanwhile, according to Artem Kozlovsky, Marketing Director of Inters Travel Company, the total cost of French and British visa has increased – 170 Euro instead of 140 Euro– due to the increased cost of visa issuing service in the British Embassy.
