Federal media review

The topic of the digital industry's impact on the travel market came into the spotlight live on RBC TV. According to Dmitry Gorin, tour operators have long adjusted to new challenges. "Speaking of technologies, travel agents and tour operators already have various options for online travel planning, construction kits you may call them. For example, many travel companies now offer dynamic packages based on regular flights in order to compete with large companies that already exist in other international markets in the field of individual travel. Their offers can be more appealing than those of Booking.com and the airlines," he said. He also mentioned that tourists' confidence in package-based tourism remains high. Thomas Cook had 22 million tourists who chose package tours, and Russian tour operators have a total of 17 million people traveling abroad and about 10 million traveling in Russia each year. "Another issue is that the number of players is decreasing, and it is technologically advanced companies that are winning, which provide a range of booking opportunities, including online tour booking," concluded Dmitry Gorin. (Read more at ) 

On the channel Russia 24, the hosts of the show Facts discussed the newly introduced railway tickets to the Crimea (Moscow-Simferopol, St. Petersburg-Sevastopol). "Tourists travel by planes, trains and motor vehicles. Now they can choose a trip to their taste and budget. Don’t forget that the Crimea is visited by many independent travellers. And, of course, the construction of the Crimean bridge contributes to the development of individual tourism," he said. (Read more at)

Tourism professionals told iReactor about the most unusual destinations that Russians opt for on New Year's. "The most unique tours are safari tours, volcano trips and trips to national parks. It is better to select them through a travel company which has a license and the opportunity to book everything in advance. Currently, there are not many people who are interested in helicopter or icebreaker voyages or high-altitude expeditions, but still there are few who do them. The downside here is the high cost of such trips," said Dmitry Gorin. (Read more at)