In the span of six years — from 2010 to 2016 — the volume of the Russian e-travel market grew tenfold, hitting 740 billion rubles last year (nearly $11.2 billion at the average exchange rate), according to research agency Data Insight cited by Hotelier.pro.
Online sales of transportation services have been the main growth driver, while online hotel booking has been growing more slowly, said the agency’s co-founder Boris Ovchinnikov at a recent industry event in Moscow.
During the last year alone the Russian online travel market increased by 37%, with all segments demonstrating growth. Air tickets accounted for more than half of the market volume last year while hotel bookings accounted for just 16%.
Source: Data Insight
Transport companies are more successful in expanding their audiences than online travel agencies (OTA).
More than a third of Russians (36%) did not travel last year, however, which hindered market growth.
The Russian upper-middle class, as well as citizens aged from 18 to 39 years of age, are the most promising audiences for the e-travel market to grow further, Ovchinnikov believes.
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