It turned out that over the past year almost a third of Russians (28.3%) went on tourist trips by car. Most often, residents of St. Petersburg (70%), Kazan (66%), Yaroslavl (64%), Moscow (60%) and Ryazan (51%) travel by car. Less often than others they use the car for sightseeing in Omsk (14%) and Makhachkala (15%).
They prefer their own transportation mainly due to flexibility in choosing the travel route and convenience (36.5%), economy (31.7%) and convenience of travel (28.2%). Most Russians take short weekend trips (34.6%) or medium-length trips, from 6 to 10 days (36.3%).
Almost two thirds of those surveyed (71.8%) travel as a family. The company of men on a car trip is 4 times more frequent (15%) than that of women (3.5%). One in ten trips on wheels is made alone (9.9%).
The most attractive places for auto tourism are the Golden Ring of Russia, the cities of the Moscow region (29%), the Volga region (24%) and the Republic of Dagestan (16%). In addition, tourists travel by car to the Caucasus and the Black Sea coast (14.7%), as well as to St. Petersburg (13%). Karelia (only 6% of respondents would like to travel there) and Siberia (5%) are not yet very popular for tourism. 1.9% of respondents would like to travel by car to monasteries and churches in Russia.
“In our research we tried to determine the most popular destinations for self-tourism. Thus, we saw that one of them today is Dagestan, which combines sea and beach holidays, as well as visiting various attractions in which the republic is rich. Our research “It will allow us to more accurately plan the development of tourism infrastructure throughout the country. Unfortunately, the Urals and Siberia are not yet very popular among autotourists. I hope that the construction of new highways will attract a flow of motor tourists to the Urals and the Asian part of the country,” explains Alexey, director of the Center for Socio-economic Research at the Financial University of the Government of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, more and more car owners consider it necessary to have VHI policies when traveling and insuring against accidents (14.9%). The leaders in obtaining travel insurance coverage are Moscow (52%), Vladivostok (41%), Irkutsk (34%), Saint Petersburg (30%) and Kirov (25%).
“Traveling by car is always an adventure and a source of new impressions for the coming year. However, it is advisable to prepare the trip in advance and purchase an insurance policy in case of unforeseen circumstances. Various things can happen on the road and buy an insurance policy will help you save money even in case of force majeure “Notifying the company about an insured event is easy and convenient through the mobile application. With the app, you can send the necessary documents to the company. Compensation for damage can also be paid remotely, without having to visit the office,” explained the deputy director of the loss settlement department of Ingosstrakh retail trade, Dmitry Krenev.
If we talk about the year 2023, it will undoubtedly be a successful year for the national tourism industry. Although the share of trips abroad is growing, Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of the Travel Industry, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
“On the most popular tourist routes, for example in the Krasnodar Territory, up to 60% of tourists travel by car. And only 40% by plane and railway. Above all, auto tourism is popular among residents of the regions Of course, they try to arrive by plane from remote regions, such as those in the north, because the car trip will be too long,” says Gorin.
At the same time, the expert recalls that the development of auto tourism is directly related to the development of transport infrastructure and the construction of new roads. Even if it is paid. It is clear that people do not want to travel for 10 days through potholes and potholes and spend the night in the countryside. The better the roads and the more convenient the roadside motels and cafes, the greater the flow of people who want to travel will be a breeze.
A road to Kazan is being built. On September 8, President Vladimir Putin inaugurated a section of the route connecting Moscow and Arzamas. Complete construction of the M-12 on the section from Moscow to Kazan is scheduled to be completed in December 2023.
Dmitri Gorin further added that auto tourism is developing between large and small cities. Russians willingly travel short distances: “three hours and home.” Traveling along the Golden Ring, to Karelia and St. Petersburg is also popular. “Let’s not forget about the economic component. If a family or a large group travels by car, then this is more profitable than buying plane or train tickets for everyone. In addition to paying for gasoline, there are also expenses for food and stops. , as well as traveling on toll roads. But it can still be more viable from an economic point of view,” highlights Dmitri Gorin. Nowadays, many people take their beloved pets on trips. They are definitely more comfortable in a car than on trains or planes.
