Now or never! Are Millions of Russians Coming Back? An interview with Rajko Ružička, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board office in Moscow on December 7, 2015 by TCN’s Moscow correspondent.
Russians do not think about snow and freezing temperatures because they do not mind them. They do not think too much about wars, food prices and the weak rouble. But, they do think about the summer. Those who can afford it and who have the dollars are already thinking about the next trip, a place where they will spend their vacation by the sea and the sun after a cold winter, as long as it is not the Crimea… And Croatia has everything they need, fine food and wines, islands and friendly people, smile and charm. On the other hand, Turkey had been for many years the best destination for them due to its proximity and the incredibly low prices and high quality of hotels and all-inclusive packages which Russians love, unlike Croatian hoteliers?! But, following the recent unfortunate events, Turkey has become the X-Files zone for the Russians, which resulted in the cancellation of tourist packages and turning towards other markets. Similar thing happened with Egypt.
One should not rejoice about other people’s misfortunes, but tourism is a ruthless business and only strong players can survive. This is the moment when Croatia should see its chance and aggressively set out to conquer the demanding and extremely lucrative Russian tourism market because countries like Cyprus and Malta have already started with their efforts. Air Malta offers return tickets from Moscow for only 650 kuna, which caused a real shock and great interest. Thailand and Malaysia are still too far away and quite expensive, so it is understandable that they will turn to the good, old and warm Europe. Opportunities like these are rare, and the results could be incredible. It is really time to say: “Now or never!”
“I am sorry about the events which have occurred recently in Turkey and Egypt, and I would not want it to appear that we want to ‘take advantage’ of someone else’s misfortunes. Looking objectively and pragmatically, the market situation is such that the Russian tour operators and tourists will look for replacement destinations and the market will have six million new tourists who will be ‘free agents’. I do not want to sound overly grandiose, but for me this is a ‘historic moment’ and a chance for a big return of Russians to our destinations. In such a constellation of stars, I think we should launch a targeted strategy towards Russian market and expect an increase in the number of tourists next year”, explained Rajko Ružička, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board office in Moscow.
After the “disappearance” of the Turkish and Egyptian tourism from the Russian sphere of interest, a completely new situation for the tourism industry is being created. We should not forget about Cyprus, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and France. These countries, Ružička claims, will be the main rivals of Croatia in the fight for Russian guests. “Why are they at the forefront and why aren’t we among the top five? These are countries which immediately after the cessation of business with Egypt and Turkey aggressively started negotiations with Russian tour-operators, especially with the big players. Hotel companies and the national tourist offices of these countries have already done a series of bilateral meetings at which they proposed specific measures to attract Russian tourists”, Ružička said, stressing that these countries have been joined by Morocco which generously co-finances tour-operators in order for the number of tourists to be as large as possible.
As far as Croatia’s neighbours are concerned, Montenegro has done a traditionally good job with the guests from the Russian Federation, while Slovenia offers packages at Rimske Terme and Ljubljana, as well as cheaper air fares. Russians will continue to visit Montenegro due to the visa-free travel system which works great and is a big psychological advantage when tourists decide where to go.
Although Croatia currently is not among the top five countries, Ružička believes that now Croatia has a great opportunity and that Croatian hoteliers and state institutions (and the Croatian National Tourist Board, of course) should intensify their marketing activities. They should offer a competitive price-quality ratio, because that is now in the focus of interest and will highly influence the decision-making process of potential tourists. And then, Russia should be covered with billboards and good TV commercials with the “Full of Life” slogan, in order for Croatia to become the first or second country for Russian tourists, which would be a great success.
That Croatia is a very interesting country for the Russians is confirmed by Oksana Krapivka, a well-known Russian journalist and deputy editor of the Tour Press Club tourist magazine in St. Petersburg, who is a big fan of Croatia. “Croatia has a great opportunity to ‘get’ a certain number of Russian tourists at this time because it is very attractive. While Crimea is still developing its infrastructure and its tourism potential, people who yearn for the sun and sea are ready to go to a place where everything is peaceful and where there are no Muslims. Therefore, Croatia can definitely become one of the top destinations for Russians next season, provided that there are enough direct flights from at least two Russian cities – Moscow and St. Petersburg”, Krapivka said and added that interest in Slavic-speaking countries will probably grow due to the awakening of patriotic feelings and revival of Pan-Slavic ideology.
In accordance with its plans, the Moscow office of the Croatian National Tourist Board regularly organizes seminars and presentation of Croatian tourist destinations for Russian travel agencies, but also for big players in the sector of corporate tourism in all parts of the country. One such MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) presentation in the field of business tourism was held last week at the Croatian Embassy in Moscow. Business tourism brings high profits and includes individual business trips, meetings (seminars, conferences, congresses), presentations and fairs. Business trips generally last up to three days, but sometimes stretch to seven days. Guests were welcomed by Rajko Ružička, Rina Eterović-Goreta, temporary Charge d’Affaires of the Croatian Embassy in Moscow, Jakov Despot, director of the Croatian Chamber of Economy office in the Russian Federation and Carmen Floršic, head of the consular department of the Croatian Embassy in Moscow. During the two-hour event, Crvena Luka Resort, Lošinj Hotels And Villas and Slavonian agency Atlantis Travel which has its office in Moscow were presented. Croatian National Tourist Board knows very well that the number of business and MICE guests from Russia is constantly increasing due to the continuous globalization and the inclusion of new markets in the sphere of interest of many global corporations.
“We assume that Croatia could be a very interesting destination for corporate clients. We have invited them and the agencies which are involved in business tourism. The event was attended by small and medium-sized companies which earlier did not have any contact with us, but also by large banking and oil corporations and the extremely important TUI Russia”, said Ružička, pointing out that, no matter what, it is expected that next year there will be an increase of Russian tourist arrivals to Croatia in double-digit percentages.
When Will Croatia Airlines Start Flying to Moscow?
If Russians want to fly to Zagreb or Dubrovnik, they mostly use Russian Aeroflot or Air Serbia via Belgrade. Air Serbia made a great move with these flights because a return ticket from Moscow to Zagreb can be bought for just 1,300 kuna. Aeroflot is never cheaper than 2,000 kuna. “We would be very pleased for Croatia Airlines to fly here, and I think that would be a very profitable move for our airline, and that opinion is shared by many Russian tour-operators. In this regard, I am very optimistic”, Ružička said.
Even Trains Are Not Out of Question for Russian Tourists!
Russians love trains and in 2012 the Russian Railways introduced a special train on the route Moscow – Split. It would be interesting to intensify discussions between Croatian and Russian Railways and reintroduce a similar train which would offer a relaxing trip, certain level of luxury and a good price. From 17 June to 26 August 2012, the train travelled directly to Split, while in other periods passengers had to change trains in Budapest. The trip took three days, and unofficial sources claim that there was never a dull moment in the dining car… Russian Railways have passenger lines connecting twenty countries in Europe and Asia. Rail transport, the Russian Railways claim, has been drastically developing with an increasing number of passengers.
Active, Curious and Generous Tourists
Since the end of the last century, Russians have been travelling a lot around the world. In the last 15-20 years, they have gained a reputation as active, curious and generous tourists. Until now, there were some countries which were focused specifically on guests from Russia, but Turkey and Egypt are now virtually closed to them. However, most Russians still want to travel, even though the value of rouble is down and the most popular destinations are no longer available. With great taste in travel, Russians are trying to find new destinations. And here comes Croatia”, Krapivka concluded.
