The risks of increasing the basic commission for hotel services have been assessed in the Russian Federation

The proposal of the Yandex Travel service to increase the basic commission for the sale of hotel services from 15% to 17% threatens the stability of the entire domestic tourism industry. This was announced to Izvestia on January 28 by Vadim Trukshin, CEO of the Mantera Group.

"Raising the commission by the largest aggregator will set a dangerous precedent and inevitably lead to similar steps by other players. Such a scenario would come into direct conflict with the tasks outlined by the state to increase the tourist flow and develop affordable domestic tourism," he said.

According to Trukshin, maintaining the base rate at 15% is an economically reasonable condition for maintaining the availability of services and stimulating investments in the development of the industry. Leading hotel chains and industry associations, including his company, are opposed to the commission increase. He stressed that such actions in the context of rising tourist taxes, rising energy costs, food and other costs will contribute to higher prices for the end user, who is already feeling the increase in the cost of living.

In addition, the expert noted that government concessional loans are aimed at saving business resources for investments in development, creation of infrastructure and jobs. However, the introduction of additional financial burdens, such as increased fees by aggregators, leads to a redistribution of funds, which calls into question the effectiveness of government support for the industry.

A representative of the Mantera Group warned that a further increase in the base fee would lead to a cascading effect, including an immediate increase in the cost of living and a threat to investment programs. This will make it especially difficult for small and medium-sized hotels, for which such changes may become a matter of survival.

Trukshin stressed that the industry as a whole insists on maintaining the basic commission, while aggregators can increase their revenues through additional paid services, such as priority display in search results, special design or advertising campaigns. This approach, in which the basic service remains affordable and premium options are paid for separately, seems to be more balanced and civilized.

Guests in the capitals: tourist tax earned at least in 73 regions of Russia

Does this help the development of the industry and how does it affect the popularity of travel in the country

In December last year, it was reported that from January 1, 2026, a tourist tax for the hotel business will be introduced in several Russian cities, which should help replenish local budgets and develop tourism infrastructure. Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Tyumen are among the cities that have decided to introduce the tax. Vice-Mayor of Samara Yulia Ashurkova said that the tax rate in the city will be 1% and gradually increase to 5% by 2030.

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