According to Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), Russian outbound tourism stand to lose between $7.9 million and $11 million as a result of China package tours sales suspension, unless the situation with coronavirus epidemic stabilizes within a month or two.
“Losses of outbound tourism will total around 500-700 million rubles ($7.9 million – $11 million),” she said, adding that “around 30,000-32,000 package tours have been booked and partially or fully paid.”
Russia’s inbound tourism may lose up to $100 million unless the Chinese tourist flow suspended due to the epidemic 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 million unless the situation stabilizes by the end of March,” she 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.
Meanwhile, it was expected earlier that over 130,000 Chinese tourists would visit Russia in the first quarter of 2020.
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.
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 countries worldwide. The WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of national concern and sent experts to the country.
