TORONTO — Middle-class Russian travellers are a fast-growing tourism group, according to a new study by Hotels.com that revealed an increase in Russian travel worldwide. Fifty-four per cent of hoteliers have seen bookings grow by 10 per cent or more, while 92 per cent predict the volume to increase over the next three years.
“The meteoric rise of Russia’s outbound travel market is providing a welcome boost to hoteliers worldwide, with Russians among the highest spenders on hotel rooms globally,” said Johan Svanstrom, president of Hotels.com. “The rising size and spending power of middle-class Russian travellers is a key driver behind this growth. Standing 104-million strong today, the group is set to account for 86 per cent of the country’s population by 2020, with a combined spending power of $1.3 trillion.”
Hoteliers are catering to the needs of Russian travellers by offering Russian TV channels in rooms (32 per cent); hiring Russian-speaking staff (23 per cent) and translating welcome materials (20 per cent). Other considerations for the future include plans to serve Russian food (11 per cent).
