Cruise tourism in Russia is best developed on the Caspian Sea. This is stated in the draft state program “Tourism Development”, developed by the Ministry of Construction.
The Caspian Sea is one of the few in the world where there are no cruises now, the program says. In the absence of competition, Russian cruise operators have a chance to occupy a significant market share. On the Caspian Sea, a unique type of cruise product can be offered – a combined sea cruise along the Caspian Sea and a river cruise along the Volga. This will stimulate the growth of cruises in the lower reaches of the Volga and will provide new opportunities for the growth of tourist traffic in the Caspian region.
Among the promising directions are also combined river and sea cruises in the Azov-Black Sea and Baltic basins, the development of expeditionary tourism, primarily in the Arctic zone, as well as the development of international sea cruises in the Far East. For the development of combined tourism products, including cruises, yachting tourism, beach vacations and walking routes, Crimea has a great potential, the document says.
So far, cruise shipping in Russia has consistently low values without significant positive dynamics. Fewer than 100 vessels are in operation, with an average age of over 40 years. In the coming years, it is planned to commission only two vessels of a modern design with wheeled propellers for use in shallow water.
The profitability of shipping companies-tour operators from 2008 to 2018 decreased from 9% to 2.4%. The task of developing cruise tourism should be to increase this market by 1.6 times by 2030, the draft program says.
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