Star Guarantee: glamping sites and beaches will be rated alongside hotels
Not only hotels and inns, but all other tourist accommodation facilities will be subject to classification. The corresponding amendments to the law "On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activity" were adopted by the State Duma in the third reading. The authors of the inter-factional document noted that many other objects, such as glamping or modular houses, remained unregulated. This allows owners to set prices that do not correspond to the level of service, experts noted. On how the new system will work - in the material "Izvestia".
What objects will get stars
Mandatory system of classification of absolutely all tourist accommodation facilities with assigning them stars will appear in Russia. The corresponding law in the third reading passed the State Duma on Thursday, November 21.
Now under the law only hotels are required to have categories corresponding to a certain number of "stars", as stated in the explanatory note to the bill. However, tourists can stay, for example, in modular hotels or glamping, "which in fact today remain out of sight of the state from the point of view of both the object of taxation and the quality of services provided by them," said the authors of the bill. At the same time, both hotels and hotels do not always correspond to the declared categories or "stars", because the assessment is carried out formally - without actually visiting the object itself, said the legislators. And there is no state control system in this sphere yet.
According to the adopted document, it will be necessary to classify all objects where tourists can stay. An exception will be made only for places of rest and recreation for children, as well as places used by religious organizations or for rural tourism.
After the entry into force of the law, information about all objects that have been classified must be entered into a single register. Moreover, it will also include beaches and ski slopes. Establishments, which will not be in the register, will not be able to provide services to tourists. Classification is proposed to be carried out in two stages. First, accommodation facilities will have to evaluate themselves. And then their compliance with the requirements and "stars" will be confirmed by experts of the organization "accredited by the national accreditation body". It is also proposed to create a register for such organizations.
The owner or aggregator will be obliged to inform consumers about its number in the register. Control over compliance with the requirements for accommodation facilities is proposed to be entrusted to regional authorities. Similar control measures will apply to ski slopes and beaches.
The adopted changes will help protect the rights and interests of tourists, believes Sangadzhi Tarbayev, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development.
- Undoubtedly, it [the bill] allows systematizing the sphere of accommodation services," he said at the plenary session.
One of its authors, Nadezhda Shkolkina, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, believes that thedocument will help to restore order in the accommodation sector and create transparent and equal competitive conditions for all market participants.
- First of all, we protect the interests of our consumers, our citizens. And the most important thing is that we improve the quality of services," she emphasized.
Theshortage of accommodation remains one of the main obstacles to quality recreation of citizens, added Artem Prokofiev, a member of the Tourism Committee.
- However, the growth of this number should also ensure quality. Consumers should clearly understand where they are going to rest, what quality of rest they will get on the spot. Clarity for the consumer and honest star rating is a public demand. Our citizens should not worry that an overnight stay in a glamping site in the forest will end for them, as in the song "Lesnik" by the band "King and Shout", - he emphasized, speaking at the plenary session in the State Duma.
Transparency and honesty are also important for the hospitality industry itself, only in this way can its healthy growth be ensured, the parliamentarian said.
Will classification help quality
Many accommodation facilities now really do not meet the declared level, experts told Izvestia. Somewhere the requirements are not met, somewhere the service is lame, all this leaves a negative impression on the guests, said an expert of "Popular Front. Analytics", member of the Central Headquarters of the National Front Denis Polunchukov.
- The procedure for submitting information about the accommodation facility to the unified register with the assignment of the category "without stars" is simplified, and this is an important step for the legalization of camping, glamping, guest houses, which are very many,- he stressed. - Yes, they are not hotels, but they also receive guests and should be included in the general register.
The assessment system for such facilities is necessary, as this type of accommodation is actively developing, especially in areas where ecotourism is popular.
Many owners of glamping sites have unreasonably raised prices for vacations in them, added Alexan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Travel Agencies (ATA).
- I know one glamping in Sochi, which in summer offered itself for 20 thousand rubles per day. This is the cost of a good five-star hotel. At the same time, of course, the glamping is not obliged to provide any particular service for this money, " he explained. - And people should understand where the price comes from.
The new certification rules, in his opinion, will close the niche for misleading consumers.
- Glamping sites were particularly affected by this. Many of their owners simply put swings there, decorated them with ribbons and garlands, posted photos in social networks and doubled the price, " said Alexan Mkrtchyan.
There are also difficulties with guest houses, added Denis Polunchukov. There is still no official notion of what they are.
- Unscrupulous entrepreneurs take advantage of this, building complexes like hotels. And in order not to bear responsibility as a classified means of collective accommodation, just call them guest houses,- he drew attention.
Bringing order to this niche, according to the expert, should be the next step. In addition, he suggested thinking about how to give tourists the opportunity to easily and quickly independently check the means of accommodation for legality, that is, to verify the presence in the register.
- The solution may be the introduction of the obligation for hoteliers to place, for example, a QR code, by which a tourist can immediately see the data in the register, - he believes.
Another problem that needs to be solved is the legalization of renting out apartments for short-term accommodation, added Denis Polunchukov. Now, according to him, a considerable share of this business is in the "gray zone".
Since 2022, the share of apartment booking in Russia has grown from 25% to 38% of the total number of tourist requests, experts from Mantera Group told Izvestia. According to their data, Russians are attracted to apartments by the presence of a kitchen and dining area, as well as the opportunity to get a set of services depending on the object.
At the same time, 8-11% of clients consider for themselves the possibility of buying an apartment in the resort area, and 70-78% are ready to consider such an opportunity if there is an interesting offer, follows from the research of the Russian consulting company Strategy Partners. For renting out 41% of potential buyers are going to buy such real estate, and 33% plan to combine personal residence and renting out.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
