This year St. Petersburg will host 6.5 million tourists, expected in Smolny

The most noticeable increase in travelers from China

At the end of 2015, we can say that the city was visited by at least 6.5 million tourists, Chairman of the Committee on tourism Inna Shalyto said yesterday through the press service. According to her, the number of foreign tourists in St. Petersburg has returned to pre-crisis figures, the Russian tourists set a record. During the pre-crisis period adopted in 2013, explained the representative of the Committee Galina Gromova. In 2014 and 2013, 6.3 million tourists visited St. Petersburg. The Committee takes into account not only organized group tourism, but also individual tourists, so such indicators may well be close to the truth, says Deputy Director for communications and international projects of the Northwest branch of the PCT Pavel Rumyantsev. According to him, group tourism from the West fell by about 15% this year, but tourism from Asia and Arab countries, including China – by 45%, from Korea – by 24% increased by 25-30%. The number of tourists from Turkey in St. Petersburg increased by 28%, increased the flow of tourists from Serbia and Romania. In General, the rate of subsidence of the international tourist flow slowed down and there are already signs of the return of Western tourists to St. Petersburg, Rumyantsev says. Of tourists this year has increased, primarily due to a sharp increase in the number of guests from China and Europe, said the Director of Moscow Pass and Pass Piter Alexander Mityaev. According to him, one in five, who bought a tourist card Piter Pass, is a guest from China, although the company is just beginning to sell in China. For January-September 2015 The state Hermitage is called for under contracts with tourism enterprises 903 770 is 22.3% higher than the same period in 2014, the press service of the Museum. According to her, lead tourists from China – 187 526 people, 100,000 more than last year.

Passenger port in the NAV 2015 took 223 cruise and 6 ferry vessels: sea to St. Petersburg arrived nearly 492 000 people, 2% more than in 2014, According to the PCT, the demand for the group (tourist) transport by the Railways for the first nine months of 2015, more than last year and four times from 14 000 to 56 000 passengers, 44% of them Chinese group.

And international transportation at the airport "Pulkovo" continues to decline. In the first 10 months of 2015, international lines carried 18.9% less passengers than last year, domestic lines – 11.6% more. The main reasons for the fall of international passenger traffic – the devaluation of the ruble and, as a consequence, the decline in purchasing power of the population, as well as the restriction on travel abroad for employees of a number of government agencies, the representative of the BBC explains. At the same time, China (+90%), South Korea (+42%), Iran (+155%), Norway (+26%), Poland (+8%), and Finland (+1%) grew.

Attendance in the restaurant group "Svoi V gorode", according to preliminary estimates, in 2015 will grow by 40%, says its co-owner Leonid Garbar:"Prices for foreigners in St. Petersburg fell by half." "In 2015 came less than Americans, have more to prove himself South-East Asia, Turkey and all the nearest neighbors that have no ideological barriers for the visit to Russia," said Garbar. According to him, the number of Russian tourists, for whom abroad has become significantly more expensive, has also increased.

This year, the load increased by 20% and exceeded the figures of 2008, which was a record for the hotel, passed through the press service Ekaterina Andreeva, Director of sales and marketing Belmond Grand hotel Europe. According to her, the number of tourists from Asia and Latin America increased, Russian guests grew by 10%.

Corinthia Hotel St. Petersburg for 11 months of 2015 the number of tourists from China increased by half compared to the same period of 2014, the traditional markets – Germany, Italy and the UK – show a gradual decrease, the representative of the hotel. According to her, the number of tourists from Russia and Scandinavian countries has increased. Loading of hotels in the middle segment of "Kronwell management" increased in 2015 by 5-10%, suburban – a little more, says CEO of "Kronwell management" Alexey Musakin. This year the St. Petersburg hotel Domina has received more guests than in the past, but the demand has not yet reached the level of 2013, says Kristina Kuznetsova, General Manager of Domina Prestige St. Petersburg. "In 2015, the number of tourists from Italy increased, there were more group and individual tourists from France and the United States, and this is the best illustration of the thesis that politics always passes before the economy. Interesting for Europeans, the ruble forced many travelers to turn a blind eye to foreign policy frosts," she said, adding that the number of Chinese tourists is steadily growing.

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