During the May holidays, the northern capital received 770,000 tourists, which is about 200,000 more than a year earlier. However, the St. Petersburg tourism industry will not be able to recover quickly – such an opinion was expressed by the investor of the Hotel Indigo St. Petersburg – Tchaikovskogo Victoria Shamlikashvili.
“In 2018–2019, up to 90% of all visitors to St. Petersburg were foreigners, and their average bill was several times higher than that of domestic tourists. In other years, the ratio was 50 to 50, the hotelier recalls. “Now this share has seriously decreased.”
According to her, more people came to St. Petersburg this year than in the previous three years. In 2020, there was a coronavirus pandemic; in 2021-2022, Russians were still afraid to go to public places, went to museums and theaters with caution, and were accommodated mainly in apartments, not hotels.
Now up to 50% of the guests of St. Petersburg are Muscovites. However, the number of tourists is negatively affected by the reduction in the number of Sapsan. For residents of other regions, the price of air tickets is up to 70-80% of the cost of the entire trip, which keeps people from visiting the Northern capital.
“Petersburg is not accessible at all during peak dates, so people choose Moscow. In general, no more than 30-40% of the budget of the entire trip should be spent on tickets,” Shamlikashvili concluded.
Read more about whether Chinese citizens will save the St. Petersburg tourism industry in 2023 in the Rosbalt material in the near future.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
