Russians have spent a record amount of money on foreign holidays so far this year, with a $5.46 billion outlay in July alone, the Central Bank reported.
This was the highest outlay in a single month since 2018, when the Bank of Russia began releasing monthly foreign trade statistics.
Türkiye was by far the most popular tourist destination for Russians from May to September this year, attracting 2.83 million tourists or 58% of all travel company sales, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR). Egypt was a distant second with 15%.
Domestic tourism slowed this summer, the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry (RST) noted, as the number of bookings across the country grew by just 1.1% from June to August, compared with a 15.3% jump during the same period in 2024.
RST head Ilya Umansky described the trend as a “correction in demand after several years of rapid growth.”
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“The strengthening of the ruble against foreign currencies made vacation offers abroad more attractive than domestic ones,” he said in a comment published earlier this month. High inflation and an “abnormally cold summer” in central and southern Russia were two other major reasons, he added.
Russian tour operators are currently experiencing an “explosive” growth in demand for trips to China’s southern Hainan resort, following Beijing’s announcement of visa-free travel for Russians, ATOR reported on Tuesday.
The Chinese visa waiver program began on September 15, on a one-year trial basis.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the gesture “a very significant step” and has promised to mirror the move, by granting Chinese visitors the same privilege.
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