Online booking promotes inbound tourism in Russia: hotels, plane tickets, train tickets and even package tours to Russia go off better than traditional offline ways of booking and paying. They take time and make customer to talk with operator, instead of very quick and comfortable online booking.
      
      According to research undertaken by online service provider Welcome-to-Russia, tour operators providing online services don't meet strong competition, because foreigners prefer online booking, instead of the Russians: many of them still choose bying tickets and tours for cash in offices, because they don't use credit cards or don't believe in safety of online payments. Competition is growing between companies selling tickets and tours online.
      
      Online booking in Russia is not yet smart, but it exists. 20% hotels in Moscow can be booked online, amount of Russian air carriers whose tickets are available in worldwide booking systems is growing. S 7 Airlines (Siberia) was the first air company to do it.
      
      Booking plane tickets online now is leading in Russia. There is choice and different prices and services. Second place belongs to www.russia-ic.com/services/trains/train tickets and third to online booking hotels and apartments.
      
      Apartments for rent in Russia is sometimes a good alternative to hotels because of thoeir costliness.
      
      tourinfo.ru
Author: Yulia Buzykina