Russian tourism grinds to a half – except to outer space

“Rich Russians head for UK in
record numbers” reads a headline in the FT. Hardly big news, as rich Russians
appear to have been invading London since time immemorial, and the frequency
with which you can hear Russian spoken walking around Knightsbridge or Hampstead
is evidence of it.

Small change

Visiting Britain: An impossible dream?

The best indicator however is the
number of Russian shelling out for investor visas that cost £1 million for an
entry permit good for three years, four months: up 69% this year, says the FT.

Capital flight from Russia is
often in the news. The rouble crisis, looming recession in Russia and troubled
relations with the west, have boosted that trend. Some Russians seeking to escape
uncertainty at home are clearly choosing to move closer to friends already
settled in London.

Russian tycoons coming to the UK
might be numerous but are not yet counted in their thousands: 162 investor
visas were granted to Russians in the first nine months of 2014; 66 more
compared with the same period last year. Last month the Immigration Office
introduced new rules restricting the nature of investment and doubling the cost
to £2 million, “making it harder to obtain visas”, the FT says. The cynic in me
doubts this was done to limit the number of applicants, but rather as a
money-making measure. It’s small change for the wealthy Russians, Kazakhs,
Chinese and other potential candidates who can afford luxuries, so why not
double the price?

UK visas for sale from £ 2 mln and record number of Russians head to UK http://t.co/LZ3l8qC8Dc @FT

— Xavier De Pauw (@XavierDePauw) December 21, 2014

Super-rich visitors to the UK are
on the up, but fewer ordinary Russian mortals are coming. The decline in
tourist numbers from Russia has hit high-end as well as mass-market European
resorts, Middle East and Asian destinations. Patrick Millar, of
London-based Kirker Holidays said there has been a slump in demand from Russian
guests at five-star hotels in cities such as Paris, Venice, Monaco and Prague:
“The Russians who would usually be paying top rate are not there. The hotels
are seeing a lot of additional capacity,” quotes the Independent.

Natural beauty

For most Russians who are not
planning (or have abandoned plans) to leave, life may not feel very rosy right
now: the collapsing rouble, and soaring prices put the prospects of travelling
to London and elsewhere way out of reach. 
Fortunately, it’s not difficult to bring some colour back into their
lives.

Russian economy must ‘adapt’ to new conditions, says Central Bank head

Russian politician Igor Chernishev
suggests women turn to beetroot instead of lipstick. Those of the fairer sex
struggling to afford imported beauty products could now opt for the ‘natural
look’ or use beetroot as an alternative to make-up, he said, according to the Daily Mail.

The Siberian senator says beetroot
is completely chemical-free and good for the body. He also prefers Moscow-made
lingerie to French, though it’s not clear whether it is because synthetic
materials are used in the West, or if the designs don’t conform to Russian
traditions and culture. Lace lingerie imports have been banned in Russia since July in an attempt to
protect Russian women from the horrors of wearing man-made materials. The new
law, part of a measure introduced by the EU-style Eurasian customs union,
prohibits the import, production or sale of synthetic lingerie in Russia,
Belarus and Kazakhstan.

Star struck

One destination that remains
untroubled by sanctions or exchange rates is outer space.

The US astronaut and Russian
cosmonaut who are preparing for a record-breaking mission on the International
Space Station (ISS) say they are unfazed by any turbulence in their countries’
political ties, reports the Guardian. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko
are due to spend a year on the ISS as a test-bed for a future three-year long
trip to Mars. Not quite an Interstellar story yet, but as plans for a
manned trip to Mars around the 2030 are being discussed, the potential health
and psychological risks that cosmonauts might face on such a long journey have
to be evaluated, and the ISS offers the best platform for preparation.

Elena Serova grows an apple tree on the International Space Station

For those staying on Earth, there
is a great opportunity to learn about the history of space exploration at Cosmonauts. Hosted by London’s
Science Museum, and originally planned as key event of the 2014 UK-Russia Year
of Culture in 2014, it is designed to tell the scientific story of how Russian
technological ingenuity launched the Space Age. It is also a visual history of
how artists and designers have dreamed of and imagined the cosmos in posters,
paintings and photographs during the past century.

Natalia Sidlina, artistic curator,
explained at a recent roundtable discussion at the VA organised by Russian
Art and Culture that by the time the exhibition opens in 2015, it will have been
three years in the making, but the desire to organise such a show has been
around since the break up of the Soviet Union.

The opinion of the writer may not necessarily reflect the position of RBTH.

Read more: UK-Russia crossviews

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How does Mumbai play between the sheets? – Mid

After a year of marriage, when 25-year-old yoga trainer Akriti Saxena found her sex life getting monotonous, she decided to spice things up along with her partner. “I did some online research and bought a sex dice. Instead of numbers, each die face has a body part written on it. You have to roll it and the part that faces up gets physical attention from the partner. My husband, a banker, agreed to buy it, and it actually helped us make our foreplay more exciting,” reasons Saxena.

Saxena isn’t the only one scouting online for such products. From using edible lingerie and massage candles to buying flavoured lubricants for enhanced performance, Mumbai seems to be going all out to experiment between the sheets, according to the latest survey conducted by Thatspersonal.com that sells adult products. With a sample size of 21,000 buyers and two millions visitors, the survey measured the emerging trends in the city’s bedrooms and threw up some interesting findings.

Sample this: 44% of adult game purchases on the portal were from Mumbai. Women seem to be fans of body paint as 44% of the total buys were from the city. And, if you thought men had no clue about the kind of lingerie their partners prefer, here’s a fun fact: In this city, men are the predominant buyers of women’s lingerie with a score of 39%. Time to ask your guy to choose those lacy ones for you next time, eh?

Maximum city = maximum pleasure
According to the survey, among the five metros (Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru being the other four), Mumbai accounts for 35% of the overall sales of the portal, making it one of the highest buyers of adult products. Moreover, the online traffic from Mumbai has increased by 307% over the last six months contributing to a whopping 251% increase in the sales value over the same period. In a city where hectic lifestyles are a given, relieving stress with some bedroom fun is surely high on Mumbai’s agenda.

Samir Saraiya, CEO, Thatspersonal.com says, “Mumbai is more experimental compared to other Indian cities. Couples are also early adopters of new products introduced on our portal. We’ve seen a phenomenal increase in growth from across the country and Mumbai has obviously been one of the highest performers.”

Privacy, an important factor While one might be embarrassed to buy condoms or lubricants at a pharmacy, online shopping offers a great deal of privacy, which is one of the main reasons for the increase in these numbers. Portals like Imbesharam and Thatspersonal offer just that. “We offer services like discreet delivery and customer self-pickup. These are instrumental in boosting our sales. While the city is opening up with regard to talking about sex more openly, I believe online purchases are more than say, buying from a retail outlet,” informs Saraiya.

Can these products boost intimacy?
While adult products can undoubtedly heighten the pleasure, do they actually help strengthen the bond between
partners? Consultant psychiatrist and sexologist Dr Pavan Sonar definitely thinks so. He elaborates, “Any new experiment or product, which doesn’t cause physical harm or chemical injury, is good. There is nothing wrong in adding them to sexual experiences. They help to keep the bonding intact over time and provide new avenues to experience erotica.”

What the numbers say?

17%
Of total sales from Mumbai are contributed by women. The figure is one of the highest across the country.

18%
Of overall purchases from Mumbai are condoms.

43%
Of gifting orders on Thatspersonal.com are placed from the city.

Case study

“I came across a couple, who had a love marriage, and had been together for 10 years. While the husband was a novelty-seeking person, the wife was a traditional housewife, who was satisfied with the intimacy they shared without the need for any novelty. The husband came with the complaint of suffering from erectile dysfunction. He revealed that he was bored of routine intimate rituals and therefore, unable to get excited or attain erection. He had developed a habit of watching porn and reported certain fetishes, which the wife was unaware of. In a joint couple therapy session, the interests and fetishes were discussed. The wife was advised to add some fun in the form of using different lingerie, using harmless role-playing in the bedroom, which would excite the husband and help achieve erection. The wife also complied with the husband’s harmless fetishes without any guilt and it helped them re-establish the lost bond.”
— Dr Pavan Sonar, consulting psychiatrist and sexologist

Got these in your bedroom?

Log on to: Thatspersonal.com, Imbesharam.com

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