The interest of Russians in cruises grew by 12%
Demand for river cruises in Russia grew by 12% per year. The trend is associated with the expansion of their audience, the emergence of reservations from intorers and an increase in sales depth. But in the future, the development of the cruise market will restrain the limited potential of the existing fleet.
In April-the first half of May, the Internet traffic of resources for booking river cruises grew by 12% by a year, as part of a joint study by the analytics of Megafon, Doninurflot and Cruise.ru. The company « Vodokhod » told Kommersant that the volume of cruise reservations on May 28 grew by 8% of the year by May 28. This year, the company expects to transport 163 thousand people, 5% more than in the past. Fun & Sun notes that the cruise segment demonstrates a stable increase in interest. The company believes that this year sales will increase by 10-15%. Vice-President of the Association of Russian Tour operators Sergey Romashkin noticed an increase in cruises sales by 6–7% per year.
The growth rate of interest in river cruises corresponds to the general dynamics of the development of domestic tourism. The NEO consulting company previously predicted that the number of travels around the country this year will increase by 10-15% (see Kommersant on May 14). In the « waterway » they pay attention to a high share of return tourists in the segment, about 70%. At the same time, the audience of format is expanding. In the Megafon in the summer season of 2025, they record the growth of demand for cruises lasting two to three nights. This may indicate an influx of travelers who had not previously selected such a format of trips.
In part, the demand for cruises can stimulate the return of intorers to Russia. Their flow to the country in the first half of May increased by 40% by the year (see Kommersant on May 16). Sergei Romashkin recalls that in 2019, foreign travelers accounted for 10-15% of cruise tourist flow in Russia. Then the indicator fell actually to zero. Now, according to the expert, foreigners began to appear on cruise ships again. “But if, in the total volume of tourist trips in Russia, their share this year is 3-4%, then in cruises – about 1%,” says Mr. Romashkin. The main amount of arrival is now provided by guests from the countries of the Middle East and Asia, and the format is traditionally more interested in Europeans. Megafon notes that foreign activity in the segment is formed by residents of Turkey, Belarus, Egypt and Armenia.
Megaphone analysts pay attention to the growth of the depth of reservation: users’ activity began to increase in the spring, and last year, cruises chose mainly in the summer. This can be dictated by an increase in navigation time and the development of the industry within the country, the company believes. The most popular options for river cruises for the summer of Megaphone Analysts call travel between Moscow and St. Petersburg, routes along the Volga with a call to Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov and others. In the east of the country, cruises in Yenisei and Ob are in demand.
The average cost of one day in cruise, according to Mr. Romashkin, this year will be 7.5–10 thousand rubles. He estimates the annual increase at 10-15%. Fun & Sun note an increase in value for a year by 5-15%. This is due to inflation and growth in cost. In the « waterway » it is explained that the product basket annually rises by 10-15%. Companies also need to take into account the indexation of the wage fund, expenditure costs, cleaning, equipment, etc., explain there. Excursion service for the year has risen in price by 20%.
Further potential for the growth of the market for river cruises, according to Mr. Romashkin, can restrain a limited offer. The expert draws attention to the fact that in recent years the segment has developed due to increasing the load, but now this potential has actually exhausted. Sergei Romashkin notes that the total fleet of cruise vessels in Russia is 100-105 sides and is not actually replenished.
