Socio-demographic portrait of Russian travelers

Purpose - Focuses on the social and demographic features of inbound and outbound Russian travelers, in particular, on target groups of travelers and the challenges they face in Russia. Design/methodology/approach - Draws on analysis of Synovate Comcon Russian Target Group Index and TNS Marketing Index databases, Rosstat data, expert round table discussion with author participation and observation and interviews in tourist-related sites during 2014-2015. Findings - The most important factors for domestic tourism are family status, employment, income and education. Demographic target groups for internal tourism in Russia include: low-income retired persons; groups of students; working qualified experts and family travelers. The most important factors affecting external travel are region of residence, the size of the city and income status. Political challenges (including the closure of Russians of destinations in Egypt and Turkey) tend to reinforce economic crisis and national currency depreciation. Nevertheless, forecasts of industry development predict a slow recovery over the next few years up to 2019. Originality/value - Outlines the demographic and social target groups of inbound and outbound Russian travelers described in the context of new circumstances in Russia. This information could be used by practitioners to develop travel and tourist packages for Russian tourists.