As Lithuanians gradually start buying overseas travel, two scenarios for ticket prices are forecast.

The first days are like a horror movie.

R. Širvinskas said the company he created has been operating as a private limited company since 2011, but the idea and the project itself will not be 11 years old, as early as June.

“For the first year and a half, it was my blog where I started sharing ideas for cheap travel, and then it became a business when necessary,” he said, noting that the 2008-2009 crisis was the main driver of his business. , since it grew abruptly. demand for cheap travel.

According to R. Širvinskas, the business has been excellent from the earliest days, and the number of employees has been growing every year.

When asked if there were difficult days, he said that the current situation is undoubtedly the most difficult for the company.

“For the first five days, after the ban on Lithuanians traveling abroad, on March 12, I lived as a horror movie and a nightmare.

I woke up every morning and thought, maybe it’s a dream and it’s not really that bad, but I quickly turned around and actually now I can say that this period is very exciting for me to take on such a big challenge, having such huge commitments both for my travelers, both against their team and with a joint effort to get out of this situation and continue to operate successfully, “he said openly and said that today he can only be glad that he has treated his business partner responsibly and that he has accumulated money before putting everything backwards.

“Now they are helping us to survive and not only cover losses, but also retain employees and the company. Now I can see that we were really ready for that, without spending money, ”said the businessman.

Some time after the interview, R. Širvinskas reported on the latest situation of the company on the social network Facebook. It is written that government decisions on assistance to tour operators have taken too long, so it is necessary to find solutions that do not cause financial losses to travelers and that help the company to remain in the market and comply with what has been agreed.

R. Širvinskas reports that before the pandemic, the company had dedicated part of its profits, now costs have been reduced to the maximum, but the number of employees has yet to be reduced, and the remaining employees have agreed to work between 30 and 50 percent. Lower salary. In addition, the company decided not to pay dividends, use them to retain employees, and fulfill obligations to travelers.

“Currently, up to 92 percent. Our travelers agree to postpone their travel plans. The brighter the future of travel, the more this number will increase; I believe in that very much and I am infinitely grateful to travelers who agree to wait for their vacation after a pandemic, and we promise to honor our commitments. (…) It was difficult to understand everything, but I am glad that we have savings and that is why I am calm. There is still no state clarity on aid to the tourism sector, but now we have a recovery plan, “he wrote.

Buy trips abroad for fall and winter.

Speaking about sales, R. Širvinskas said that during the first three weeks of quarantine they were zero, and residents did not book new trips, but then the situation changed, because today the travel market is gradually recovering.

“Two good weeks have passed, since those sales are and are. This is influenced by the reconciliation of people with the situation, the announcement of new travel directions for 2021. Sales are taking place today on various dates,” said the businessman, assuring that although today they represent only 5-7 percent. Compared to what it was before, it shows a resurgence of human optimism.

It is true that travel abroad today is mainly bought for autumn and winter, new year.

“I never realized that people are planning their New Year’s trips in April. They are planning them in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

People also started to order holiday tickets in Lithuania, not necessarily on the coast. Holidays in Lithuania are actively chosen for the summer season, as well as those who have not been away since mid-March postpone their summer holidays, ”he said.

Travel options may decrease

The businessman also shared what he hears about the recovery of tourism from other partners in the world and what the business itself says about the opening of hotels and the beginning of tourism.

“Turkey has announced that it has been waiting and would like to wait for travelers since June, but no one knows the answer when it will happen both in Turkey and around the world.”

“We are in constant contact with our partners abroad, in Asia, where the season starts around October-November in many areas where Europeans start traveling, so they hope that by the end of autumn everything will be fine and travel possible “, said.

However, R. Širvinskas is open, and with the start of the tourist season, the choice of trips is likely to decrease, both in terms of dates, flights and directions.

“It just caught our eye then. Each airline reacts very differently to all of this, some airlines cancel their flights even until August, Finnish airline FinAir won’t operate until the end of June and others are waiting for it to start. Some sold so much late April as in May in the hope that things will change, ”he said.

The businessman also emphasized that the trips themselves after the walls were opened might look different.

“Bans can be imposed to fly entire planes leaving the seat half empty. Of course, airlines will take care of those empty seat losses, so tickets could become more expensive later,” he said.

There are two scenarios for travel prices, directions may change

When asked what ticket prices would look like at the end of the quarantine, he said he was afraid to predict, but saw two possibilities.

“It just caught our eye then.

I think there may be two versions: one that people will be afraid to travel and airlines will have to attract travelers and announce various special offers, the other is that airlines will drastically reduce the number of flights, respectively, then tickets will be more Expensive, and if the full bans go into effect, tickets will be even more expensive and can cost 30 to 50 percent more. There are many question marks.

Now airlines are already trying to attract travelers and offer flexible conditions to buy tickets, change dates for free, etc. Cruise companies defer payments to travelers when they feel safe, and even allow them to cancel their now-purchased cruise 48 hours in advance. until departure, “he said.

According to R. Širvinskas, it is also very likely that the world may start to travel in a different way than usual.

“Looking at Lithuania, I see people looking for more remote corners to rest, which means looking at the world in general, I dare to conclude and we even try to redirect our offer to smaller hotels, resorts, less popular destinations or cities without mass meetings ” .

I think that in the near future we will want to keep our distance, we will avoid bigger resorts, hotels. Of course, not all, but there are those who will. We will also disinfect our hands more frequently during the trip, which we have not really done before, we will no longer look at people in Asia walking with masks, because it is a routine for them, it is now and we will get used to it. Eventually, tourism will gradually recover, “he said.