The largest tour operator in Russia. Rating of major tour operators in Russia

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The state of the tourism market in Russia is currently the subject of close public attention. In the context of economic instability on a national and global scale, business is in a rather difficult situation. An exemplary situation in such a high-risk business area as travel. The collapse of a number of companies included in the rating of major tour operators in Russia has created panic among exotic lovers. Any emergency in the field of travel becomes resonant, as it affects different areas of social responsibility of business.

To form a holiday program, you need to combine the efforts of several service providers: an air carrier, a foreign partner, a hotelier, an insurer, a transfer company.

Moreover, each of the counterparties bears its share of risk. One link does not work - the client's trip will not take place. The list of major tour operators in Russia is thinning, and companies from the top ten strongest players in this market are disappearing. How to guarantee a trip without problems in this situation? We will try to find the answer to this question.

Reliability criteria

Tour operators and agents –the main participants in the travel organization market. What is their fundamental difference? Tour operators form a product and pay a financial guarantee in case of risky situations. Agents sell the product brought to the market and receive a certain bonus for cooperation. The main responsibility (both moral and material) for the result of quality falls on the developer. Let's consider what criteria can be used to evaluate it and make a conclusion about who is the most reliable tour operator in Russia.

The sectoral ministry is the official state system that provides reliable information about the market and its main players. Rostourism specialists recommend evaluating companies according to the following criteria:

• Service volumes.
• The amount of the financial guarantee.
• Time to market.
• Sales policy.
• Goodwill of the company.

Let's try, adhering to this scale, to evaluate the market, determining who is the largest tour operator in Russia.

Quality and quantity - which is more important?

Volume of services is an indicative value for the evaluation of the largest market participant.

According to the data of the Federal Agency, which are publicly available on the official website, the largest tour operators in Russia in 2014 (21 representatives on the list) provide a financial guarantee of more than 100 thousand rubles in the field of travel.

In the first five positions we see the following companies: Solvex-Tourne (4,550,927 thousand rubles), Neva (3,684,068 thousand rubles),TT-Travel (1,117,115 thousand rubles), Southern Cross (833,335 thousand rubles), Europort (933,484 thousand rubles). The paradox is that three of the five tour operators listed did not cope with the situation and were forced to stop their activities without fulfilling their obligations to customers. All of them functioned on the market for more than 10 years, had a good reputation and were among the 10 largest tour operators in Russia.

Financial Guarantee - Can it be security?

When focusing on this indicator, you should find out the rating of the insurance company that provides guarantees.

There are cases when the image of a socially responsible tour operator suffered because of the reputation of the insurer. Can the size of financial guarantees serve as confirmation of quality and reliability?

If we turn to official statistics, the largest insurance coverage was provided by the bankrupt company Solvex-Tourne, which is included in the rating of major tour operators in Russia. It was 450 thousand rubles. A significant percentage was paid to the Ascension company. She, in turn, was not able to cope with the obligations that arose … The answer to the question is obvious.

Service Period

Unfortunately, this criterion is not always the basis of reliability. All "bursting" tour operators in the current season were age-related … In a geometric progression, problems were added to the experience. There are indicators of dynamic development: changes in data on sales volume, directions and other indicatorstourism market. The problem is that there is no single paradigm for evaluating statistical data.

The largest tour operators in Russia in 2014, which declared their insolvency, had experience in the market from 10 to 20 years! Therefore, the fact of a long stay in business does not mean anything if it is not confirmed in positive dynamics. Moreover, it is important that there is personal responsibility for its provision.

Sales Policy

It has been noticed that dumping is a companion of the collapse of the company. But how to distinguish it from the policy of moderate prices, achieved as a result of long-term relationships with the host country? There are a number of tour operators who do not "burn" anything. With moderate prices and a significant weight in the business environment, they are steadily increasing the number of regular customers.

Pegas LLC, one of the largest tour operators in Russia, started its activities with steep dumping.

This operator in 2008 "crushed" the regions under its low price policy. Everything was cheap - hotels, service, and service … Without changing the approach much, the operator raised prices as soon as it captured a significant segment of the market. But the reputation of cheap tours from Pegasus allows him to make super profits.

The operator's roots are in Turkey, it is less dependent on the domestic financial market. A strong marketing strategy is set here: an ingeniously convenient booking system, a network approach to sales, a flexible system of working with agencies and a high percentage of remuneration. The Russian mentality is also taken into account- "cheaper" and "longer". The operator remains currently active.

Goodwill

Very curious criterion. With various tricks, how to understand that, for example, the largest tour operator in Russia in 2014, Solvex-Turne LLC, which has 4.5 million rubles. turnover, turned out to be incapacitated with all the experience, income and other business regalia? The company of the same name with the prefix "Travel" is working, and successfully … Where to look for ends? And the firm "Sanmar" (aka "Operator of profitable tours")? How to determine who is more reliable? Or is it a maneuver called “leave to stay?”

It is difficult for an expert to figure out games with trademarks, but what about ordinary buyers? How can the reliability of a tour operator be assessed by people who have no idea about the specifics of the market, for whom one thing is important - whether their trip will take place or not? It is unlikely that business reputation is an available evaluation criterion.

Rating in numbers

In order to orientate ourselves in the situation here and now and decide on the reliability of tour operators, we will use what is freely available. Let's look at the largest players from the standpoint of official statistics. Below are those that are included in the register of tour operators in Russia.

Let's list who is in the first positions in terms of sales. We consider only those market participants whose data is officially published in order to determine the 10 largest tour operators in Russia currently operating.

Tour Operator	Sales volume	Insurance,RUB thousand	Starting year
SOLVEX TOUR (stopped operations)	4550, 927	450	n/a
"NEVA" (stopped operations)	3684, 068	454, 2	1990
TT-Travel	1117, 115	121	2007
Europort	933, 484	112	2004
Southern Cross Travel (stopped operations)	833, 335	100	1998
SOLVEX-TRAVEL	685, 699894	100	1993
Coral Travel	479, 707	110	1992
Paktur	477, 685	105	1990
Natalie Tours	444, 378	100	1997
Pegas Touristik	220, 000	100	1994
MAXIMICE	270, 544	100	2006
"LABYRINTH" (stopped operations)	208, 641	100	1995
SANMAR TOUR	135, 291	100	2005
TEZ TOUR	126, 900	100	1994

Top Ten Officially Strongest - Let's Get Acquainted

The largest tour operator in Russia, according to the registry, is the founder of the professional association of the Russianscale. He is also the official agent of the administration of St. Petersburg - SOLVEX-TURNE LLC. Stopped working on September 8, 2014. The next in the rating is NEVA, an experienced operator, who also announced the termination of work with the standard wording “impossibility to fulfill obligations”. Quantity does not turn into quality (under certain conditions, especially in the Russian economic environment).

The rating of major Russian tour operators with a financial guarantee of 100,000 rubles or more includes the trademarks Natalie-Tours and TEZ TOUR.

There are different criteria behind their popularity. These are brands in their industry. The trademark "TEZ TOUR" is distinguished by the quality of customer service on the ground, island VIP vacation programs, and high-quality selection of consultants.

As for Natalie Tours, this brand is characterized by a unique recognizable and elegant style. The high-quality service of this operator is highly commendable: the level of hotels, the variety of programs, and the stable pricing policy. I want to believe (you can't say otherwise) that this operator will continue to delight consumers with its quality service and a palette of offers "from Natalie".

On the systemic crisis in tourism

Why is there such a situation of instability in the demanded service sector? Can the largest tour operator in Russia become a reliable guarantor of the planned vacation? Briefly summarize.

The crisis in the tourism sector is systemic. Moreover, it is resonant, since it is tied to a complexnature of international services. When activities are terminated, a wide range of problems are revealed: questions arise for banks, insurers, and carriers. International norms for problem-solving also do not always pass the test of civility.

The government agencies themselves are not ready to recognize the systemic nature of the problem. It's easier to find the last one. The largest tour operator in Russia turned out to be a scammer. Thus, a modern theater of the absurd arises: a reputation is gained for decades, and overnight someone deceives thousands of travelers.

Useful tips for careful tourists

In conditions when operators cannot, and the state does not want to give guarantees, it is worth minimizing the risks when buying a trip and keep in mind:

• Quantitative performance indicators cannot serve as an assessment of quality in the modern system of economic indicators.
• It is safer to buy a tour a short time before it starts (not to be confused with "burning").
• It will not be superfluous to check the availability and status of the reservation on the website of the operator or carrier.
• Carefully consider the composition of the package of documents, which you can read before signing the contract.
• Check if there is information about the tour operator in the contract.
• Consult an independent travel agency that is interested in keeping the client and his trust.

Assess the reliability of the operator in dynamic rather than statistical terms (whether there has been an increase orreduction in volumes, programs, investments)

And an easy path to a dream!