Analyzing consumer preferences in river cruises in Russia

Abstract

The article examines the development problems of river cruises in Russia from the point of view of consumers' opinion. The river cruise industry, both in Russia and globally, is facing a number of challenges stemming from declining demand, high competition from other segments of the travel industry, and the demand for a cruise product among elderly consumers at risk of COVID-19. The industry development is impossible without considering the needs of tourists, without market segmentation. Therefore, the article uses open data, as well as data from a sociological survey and interviews, to identify groups of river cruise consumers, systematize negative and positive reviews and identify constraining and motivating factors in choosing such travel format. The article presents the socio-demographic characteristics of tourists who have the experience of traveling on river cruises. The authors single out groups of consumers of a cruise product, give a characteristic of each of them, and highlight negative points most often noted by tourists in opinions and reviews. It is noted that a significant part of the reviews are positive, the services received meet expectations, and this also suggests that the majority of consumers of river cruises are a special permanent cohort for whom combination of communication and entertainment with the format of a river trip has greater importance. Market segmentation, which can be based on the selected categories of tourists, can help to overcome negative reviews, including subjective ones, for example, associated with the undesirable neighborhood of different groups of tourists.