Many Nigerian football and summer holiday travel enthusiasts are missing out on the allure, excitement and networking opportunities that attending the ongoing FIFA football World Cup fiesta live in Russia offers.
The reasons for the failed travel bids include exorbitant flight tickets, the biting Russian cold and high stadium ticket and hotel room costs, among others.
Able Nigerians have typically traveled to watch the four-yearly World Cup fiesta, no matter how far away the host country may be, and their presence is usually signposted by the nation’s Football Supporters Club with their peculiar regalia and loud rendition of songs, accompanied by African drums, gongs and trumpets.
On account of soaring airfares, high accommodation rates, expensive tickets for the matches, to exorbitant transport fares within Russian cities, many intending travelers have shelved their visits.
While the visa was easier, the cost of traveling has forced many to stay back home or seek other summer holiday destinations. About six month to the world cup, hotel rates were increasing daily in Russia, due to soaring bookings from across the world. The high demand has pushed accommodation rates up to as much as $500 per night for a hotel room in Moscow at present, while the cheapest flight to Russia is from $800 due to a lack of direct flights from Nigeria and the many connecting flights required.
Global booking outfits such as Booking.com, Expedia, Formula One, among others, that offer cheaper accommodations, no longer have rooms to sell, as hotel owners now prefer to sell the rooms on their own, to take direct advantage of the high rates.
In lieu of trips to Russia for the World Cup, many Nigerians who cannot afford the costs are now buying tickets to cheaper and shorter summer destinations such as the UK, the United States, Dubai and some African countries which offer exciting tourism packages.
“With N1 million, I am guaranteed an exciting summer experience in any European destination or more fun in Dubai, Kenya and South Africa. But that amount cannot get you to Russian in conveniently. There is life after the World Cup”, Martin Olumide, a fan who aborted his Russia trip, explained.
For Mary Ogar, the trouble is not getting to Russia, but the ability to enjoy as many excitements, which for her is not possible on a Russia trip because of the cost, distance and weather.
“The cities where the Super Eagles will be playing; Kaliningrad, Volgograd and Saint Petersburg, are far apart. You need flights and long distance by road or rail to connect them and the movement costs real money in dollars, aside accommodation”, Ogar, a mother of three, who discouraged her husband from going to Russia, said.
Some die-hard fans do not mind the cost though. Jude Aneke, a telecom engineer who has been saving for the soccer fiesta for two years, said he has put down N3million for the trip to Russia, especially for movement to the three venues to watch all Nigeria’s first round matches.
“We will play against Croatia on June 16 at the Kaliningrad Stadium in the city of Kaliningrad. We will then fly to Volgograd to face Iceland on June 22 at the Volgograd Arena, and the final Group D game will come up against Argentina at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Saint Petersburg on June 26. I will be there live”, Aneke said.
Just like Ogar, Bernard Bankole, president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) told BDSunday that most travel agencies have not witnessed any rush for tickets to Russia. “We have not seen a rush to Russia. We just saw very few football fans travelling or booking flights to Russia.
“People are still travelling to conventional destinations like London, Dubai, South Africa and America, which are the most-sought-after destinations for Nigerians. Paris and Kenya are the secondary destinations”, Bernard said.
“Summer fares are always higher because demand outweighs supply but unlike summer last year, when there were no seats because airlines could not repatriate their funds, right now, there are seats and there is access to dollars. So, there is competition and there is a lot going on. The prices of tickets are cheaper than last year. Things are stabilising this year. People have more disposable income this year,” Bankole added.
BDSunday checks show that tickets for summer this year are relatively cheap because airlines have been able to remit over 80 percent of their funds that were trapped in Nigeria as result of the forex policy introduced by the CBN two years ago.
BusinessDay’s checks show that last year, an Emirates Airlines return economy class ticket on the Lagos-London route, which was sold for between N500,000 and N550,000, currently costs between N380,000 and N450,000.
A travel agent who craved anonymity, told BDSunday that last year, British Airways deliberately removed its lower classes of tickets in order to sell high economy rates to London at N1.5million. This year, the airline is selling its cheap economy seat tickets for about N950,000 to N1million.
The famous Lagos-Dubai route return economy ticket which sold at N440,000 or more, last year, now sells for between N290,000 and N400,000 depending on the airline.
A British Airways return economy class ticket on the Lagos-New York route, which cost N1.77million last year, currently sells for about N1million.
Currently, a return ticket to Russia costs between N480,000 and N700,000, depending on the airline, while the cost of a room per night is over N150,000.
Though some travel agencies hope to make sales as Nigerians like last minute rush, the volume of tickets sold, according to them, will not be substantial, as many Nigerian holiday makers find the harsh climate conditions in Russia very unappealing.
However, some travel agents are taking advantage of the situation to woo those shelving their trips to Russia to consider other destinations which are closer, cheaper and offer more clement weather.
