How Middle East Hotels Can Market To The Russia Outbound Travel Market
Decoding UAE Restaurant Marketing Strategy
January 20, 2023
How Middle East Hotels Can Market To The Russia Outbound Travel Market
Have you been searching the internet for how to target Russian travelers to the Middle East?
Whether you’re a hotel or tour operator in GCC, you might be surprised at how effective Yandex ads are.
Some other advertising tools can help you to achieve your goals, but Yandex ads stand out among the crowd. Not only do they allow you to reach a targeted audience, but they also allow you to customize your campaign and offer a placement with thousands of partnered Russian websites.
Let’s first understand the Russian traveler market trends – especially after the Ukraine conflict
Russian Traveler Market For UAE:
- Russia constitutes a significant portion of the 4.44 million tourists that visit the United Arab Emirates each year – third highest after India and Saudi Arabia
- According to tour operators, 35% of the New Year holiday sales accounted for tours in the UAE.
- In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai remains the most popular emirate among Russian tourists. It accounts for about 40 percent of sales from tour operators—more than any other Emirati destination. Ras Al Khaimah comes in second at around 20%, with Abu Dhabi accounting for 10%. The rest of the emirates are valued at 30%.
Most Popular Russian Overseas Destination 2022
Russia Outbound Toursim Market Trends (After Ukarine Conflict)
Russian Outbound Tourism Market Size
US $ 27,101 Mn
Projected Market valuation
(2032) - US $ 66,299 Mn
9.4%
The Drivers, Restrains, Opportunities, and Threats (DROT's)
- Russians are very enthusiastic travelers, and their growing demand for foreign travel should push sales in the market.
- Due to Western sanctions against Russia, many Russians are unable to book tickets to their favorite destinations in the West, which makes the Middle East and Asia Pacific as a go-to choice
- Russian tourists are extremely demanding when it comes to tour guides and instructors, expecting them to have deep knowledge of the city/country they're visiting as well as be punctual.
- Russian tourists, unlike many European ones, are less likely to speak fluent English—which may have an impact on their experience abroad.
- A high level of hotel occupancy is expected to continue throughout the winter, as Middle Eastern countries maintain extensive beachfront property.
- Hotels or restaurants with Russian-speaking staff can provide bilingual guides, menus, and signs to attract more Russian guests
- Many Russian tourists still express concerns about the culture and restrictions of the GCC countries. Marketing campaigns dedicated to them can help ease these worries
- Many Russian tourists are concerned about the flight schedule and restricted air route due to Ukraine conflict—hotels can accommodate this concern by offering relaxed cancellation policies.
FAQ's Russian Travel OutBound Market for GCC
The Russian outbound tourism market is set to grow at 9.4% CAGR
Leading players are – Art Tour, ICS Travel, PAC Group, Karlson tourism, Sodis, Antik travel, Via Maris, Jetlane Travel, Miracel Tours, Sky Club, Expedia, TripAdvisor and among others
Based on age group, the 36-45 years segment is likely to generate a major share of 28% in the Russian tourism market in the next ten years
Booking.com, trivago.ru,101hotels. Ru, Ostrovok.ru, hotellook.ru
Most Russian tourists take organized tours, while independent travelers tend to book online.
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How To Reach Russian Travelers Over Yandex Search Engine
Yandex ads are one of the most efficient tools you can use to reach russian outbound travellers who are interested in going to Middle East and other countries. Yandex is a leading search engine in Russia having more than 495 million monthly users, making it one of the most popular search engines in Russia or CIS market.
How to Create Yandex Ads
Yandex.Direct is a platform for direct response and display advertising. The system allows you to run contextual campaigns using search queries, websites and apps as well as display ads on Yandex’s properties
Yandex.Direct works both on contextual advertising which can be targeted through – Search Ads and Content Ads
Hence, to advertise on the Yandex search engine, you can sign up for Yandex.Direct, which is the platform for placing ads on Yandex. You can create text or display ads, set a budget for your campaign, and target specific demographics and keywords. Yandex.Direct offers a variety of targeting options, including geographic location, time of day, and device type. Additionally, you can use Yandex.Metrica to track the performance of your ads and make adjustments as needed.
Here are the steps to create an ad campaign on Yandex.Direct:
Sign up for Yandex.Direct by creating an account on the Yandex.Direct website.
- Create a new campaign by clicking the “Create campaign” button.
- Choose the type of ad you want to create, such as text ads or display ads.
- Set your campaign budget and select your targeting options, including geographic location, time of day, and device type.
- Create your ad by entering the ad text, headlines, and any images or videos you want to include.
- Set your bids for each ad group and keyword.
- Once your ad is created, submit it for review.
- After it is approved, your ad will begin showing on Yandex search results and other Yandex properties.
- Use Yandex.Metrica to track the performance of your ads and make any adjustments as needed.
Please note that the process and steps may change over time and it’s recommended to check Yandex support pages or contact their help center for more specific and up to date information.
You can download our Yandex Ads checklist from HERE
PRO TIP
Use negative keywords and operators to refine your keywords.
Use templates to create unique ads for each keyword.
Add sitelinks, callouts, and contact details to your ads.
Another important aspect of Yandex ads is remarketing. This is the technique of showing ads to people who have already interacted with your website, app, or products. Remarketing allows you to show highly relevant and targeted ads to users who have already shown an interest in your business, increasing the chances of conversion.
Yandex also offers various other tools and options for businesses, such as the Yandex.Audience, which allows businesses to target their ads based on users’ browsing history, and Yandex.Retargeting, which allows businesses to target users who have recently visited their website.
Advertising on Yandex can be a great way for businesses to reach a large and targeted audience in Russia and other Russian-speaking countries. With a variety of targeting options and tools for tracking performance and making adjustments, Yandex.Direct can be a powerful tool for increasing visibility and driving conversions for businesses.
CONCLUSION
- Use Yandex Ads: The Yandex ads platform allows you to reach millions of potential customers through highly targeted ads and promotions. You can also use the platform to advertise with keywords that are most relevant to your hotel niche, as well as offer other services like travel deals and accommodation rates.
- Relaxed Cancellation policy: Russians tend to have a relaxed attitude towards cancellations, so if you offer a relaxed cancellation policy (e.g., one day notice), this could be appealing to Russian travelers who want a more flexible travel schedule than they’re used to at home!
- Long stay discounts: Russians tend to stay in the Middle East for a long—so it might be worth offering longer stay discounts for Russian travelers who plan on staying longer than usual
- Food & Beverage Offerings: Russian tourists are notorious for eating out, so why not offer them some food and drink options? Offer free breakfast, lunch, or dinner buffets in your lobby daily, or provide complimentary coffee and tea services throughout the day.
- Easy access to currency exchange on site.
Russian travel market presents a valuable opportunity for Middle Eastern destinations to attract a significant number of visitors. To effectively target Russian travellers online, it is important to understand their preferences and behaviours, as well as to use the right platforms and strategies to reach them. This includes focusing on social media and travel-related websites popular in Russia, such as TripAdvisor and Instagram, as well as utilizing paid advertising and influencer partnerships. Additionally, offering special promotions and packages tailored to Russian travellers, and providing information in Russian on your website and social media channels can also help to attract this market. Overall, by understanding and catering to the unique needs of Russian travellers, destinations in the Middle East can effectively target and attract a large number of visitors from this important market.
