The number of Russians traveling abroad is growing rapidly

Posted 7:50AM on Thursday 28th March 2002 ( 23 years ago )

MOSCOW - More than three years after the 1998 financial crisis, Russians again have money to spend and are looking abroad to spend it. "It's cruising back up to the pre-1998 level," said Philippe-Henri Leonard of Les Hotels de Paris, one of 2,300 companies from 102 countries and regions represented at the four-day Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition that began Wednesday. More than 21 million Russians visited a foreign country in 1995, but that number dipped to 11 million during 1998, the year of Russia's financial crisis, when many Russians lost their savings, according to the organizers of the expo. By 1999, however, the numbers had recovered slightly, creeping up to 12 million, and by 2000, more than 18 million Russians traveled abroad, the organizers said. There are no official statistics for 2001 or 2002 yet, but anecdotal evidence suggests the numbers are back to their pre-crisis levels, or even surpassing them. "It's huge. We're seeing a 25 percent increase in Russians every year," said Sayed Nofal, tourism officer at the Egyptian embassy in Moscow. The top 10 destinations for Russians are Poland, Germany, Finland, South Korea, China, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Spain and Italy, according to the tourism department at Russia's Economic Development and Trade Ministry. Russians often carry a lot of cash and are big spenders, making them among the most sought-after tourists, travel agents said. "They come with one suitcase, and they leave with three," said Jose Serra Costa of Tours & Tours, based in Catalonia, Spain. "They're spending again on expensive restaurants, expensive shops and boutiques," said Leonard of Les Hotels de Paris. Peter Ueltschi of the Switzerland Tourism Board said Russians spend an average of $200 a day in his country, well above the European average. They tend to stay in Geneva and Zurich, and mountain resorts like Zermatt, San Moritz, and Verbier, he said. Ueltschi added that Russian tourists have been a boon for Switzerland, especially after the events of Sept. 11th. While American tourism plummeted in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Russian bookings continued to grow, helping to fill the gap left by the Americans. "We never felt a thing after September 11th. The Russians, they kept coming," he said. Switzerland's tourist industry is keen to tap the Russian potential. Twelve Swiss five-star hotels are represented at the expo, compared with just 4 the year before, Ueltschi said. "The Russian tourist is now more profitable and prestigious than ever," said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko, one of several government officials who attended the opening of the expo Wednesday.

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