In 2023, the domestic tourist flow in Russia exceeded the pre—record figures for the first time – it grew to a record 78 million people. In 2024, Russians will continue to travel massively around the country and ensure growth by another 18-20%, the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT) predicts.
In addition to the usual routes — to Moscow, Krasnodar Territory, St. Petersburg, and the North Caucasus — other destinations are gaining popularity, including the Russian North and the Far East. At the same time, interest in foreign tours is also being restored. First of all, due to the fact that there are more offers for direct flights.
Record rise
According to a survey by Sberbank, last year Russians spent 1.8 trillion rubles on holidays inside the country. This season, the amount is likely to be even higher — 90% of respondents will spend their holidays without going abroad. On average, tourists are willing to pay 126 thousand rubles for a trip.
The number of trips in Russia in 2024 will increase by another 18-20%, predicts in the commentary IA Regnum Vice-President of the PCT and Chairman of the Committee on Tourism of the CCI of the Russian Federation Yuri Barzykin. According to him, the market keeps up with demand and offers options for every taste and purse. Large and small capacity hotels are opening in the regions, the package of tourist offers and services is expanding, and infrastructure is developing. As a result, Russians have a wide choice of destinations, and the flow of travelers is evenly distributed within the country.
“Today, the tourism product is diversified by region. Some are attracted to Moscow or St. Petersburg, where serious cultural and educational events are generated, others go to Altai, the Caucasus Mountains, Karelia for active tourism or spend time on the coasts of the Azov and Black Seas. Such diversification smoothes the season and reduces prices,” explains Barzykin.
Last year, 20 million people visited Moscow. The Krasnodar Territory follows the capital with 18 million, followed by St. Petersburg: the city received more than 9 million tourists – slightly less than in the pre—2019, while the noticeably reduced flow of foreigners was more than compensated by the Russians.
Kazan showed optimistic statistics, where about 4 million people visited. Other popular destinations include trips to the North Caucasus, tours to the resort town of Belokurikha in the Altai Territory, Lake Baikal and Kaliningrad.
The growing attractiveness of travel in Russia is explained, among other things, by the support of the state. Within the framework of the national project “Tourism and the Hospitality Industry”, about 50 billion rubles were allocated in 2023 alone. The government expects that the measures taken by 2030 will double the tourist flow within the country — up to 140 million trips.
Along the rivers and the “piece of iron”
In addition to traditional trains and airplanes, Russians are increasingly traveling by water. Russia’s inland waterways are among the longest in the world. The domestic tourism industry offers more than 1,500 routes along them.
“Last year, the growth was 40%. This season, river navigation has been open since April 24, and 60% of trips have already been booked until November. You can choose from a three-day tour of the Moscow River for 15-17 thousand and ending with expedition cruises on ships along the Yenisei, Baikal or Solovki. Prices are much higher there,” says Barzykin.
You can also go on a cruise on tourist trains. For example, from Moscow, tourist trains run along the Golden Ring, to the Russian North, to Karelia, to Lake Baikal, and cities on the Volga.
“Autotourism is supported, the quality of roadside service is growing. Whole bus charters are being launched in Crimea. And since we are talking about the peninsula, this is the only region where prices are not rising, although in the past, and this year the demand for it is rising. But nevertheless, the difference with the Krasnodar Territory, the same Anapa, was 15% lower,” says the interlocutor of IA Regnum.
The abolition of VAT stabilizes the market
Even the most experienced tourists know that the sooner they buy tickets and book a hotel room, the cheaper it will be. And if you buy a ticket through a travel agent, you can save up to 20%, industry experts say. At the same time, prices will not rise sharply at the height of the season: the market will be stabilized by the abolition of VAT for hotels and for domestic tour operators until 2027. Tariffs are also positively affected by the fact that 83 more trains have been added to the 50 pairs of trains in the southern direction.
In 2023, VTSIOM estimated the average summer vacation budget per person at 54 thousand rubles. Although the cost of a vacation in Russia has been growing in recent years, it is still about two times cheaper than the average tour abroad.
“This is due to the exchange rate difference and high transportation costs for traveling abroad. If everything is calculated in advance, then you can meet this amount (54 thousand rubles. — Ed.). For example, a one-way ticket, if you do not buy it the day before, will cost up to 6 thousand rubles. A 3—star room for two in Murmansk, in the Krasnodar Territory — about 4,200,” Barzykin notes.
As of the beginning of June, 60% of hotels in the South of Russia have already been booked. At the same time, the most popular hotels and resorts of 4-5 stars are occupied, which, as a rule, are dismantled first. There are still many budget options.
One and a half trillion investments
According to experts, 12 million people will rest on the Russian sea coasts in the summer. By 2030, the figure should increase by 10 million thanks to the Five Seas and Lake Baikal project, which is part of the national Tourism and Hospitality Industry project. Within its framework, investors will invest 1.5 trillion rubles in the creation of ten year-round federal resorts with hotels with 74 thousand rooms.
In addition to Lake Baikal, where a zero-pollution resort is planned for the lake, all-season hotel complexes will appear on the coasts of the Baltic, Caspian, Azov, Black and Japanese Seas. The latter option is already attracting tourists from Central Russia who have decided to see the exotic nature of the Far East. And when hotels with well-maintained beach areas and sports and entertainment infrastructure grow in the Aleutian Bay in the south of Primorye, the resort will receive up to 500 thousand visitors a year.
If a trip to the Far East is not yet included in the plans, and you do not want to go to the Black Sea coast, experts recommend taking a closer look at Arkhangelsk. It’s not hot here, you can admire the Northern Dvina and take a ride to the White Sea.
And motorist tourists can take a ride on the Silver Ring. This relatively new route runs through the ancient Novgorod land and covers the regions of the North-West of the country. Among the attractions are the Izborskaya Fortress near Pskov, Vyborg Castle in the Leningrad region and Kizhi in Karelia.
Abroad on the usual routes
Most tourists who are going abroad will be accepted by Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, says IA Regnum, Vice President of the Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) for outbound tourism Artur Muradian. Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Seychelles are also popular among Russians.
“Tours are getting a little cheaper. Plus, the ruble is moderately strengthening, which also affects the value. The number of flight offers has increased: there are more transit opportunities for trips to Cyprus and Montenegro via Armenia. There are also direct flights to Vietnam — so far to Ho Chi Minh City, but it still allows you to get to the resorts of Nha Trang. Myanmar will also continue to support air traffic. We predict an increase in outbound tourist traffic by 10-15%,” Muradyan says.
In turn, the president of the Union of Travel Agencies Sergey Golov refrains from making forecasts. Previously, he explains, tour operators focused on early booking, when summer packages were bought back in January. Now people are more careful about traveling abroad, the maximum depth of sales is a month and a half.
Turkey is the undisputed leader in the number of Russian tourists in summer. There is a large selection of hotels in the country from 3 to 5 stars, and prices start from 120 thousand rubles per week for two.
Russians are also in demand for trips to China, and interest in African countries is growing, which attract with beaches, exoticism and a rich program. They often fly to Venezuela.
“Our tourists are treated smartly there. You can fly without a visa for 90 days and, for example, spend time on Margarita Island, where there is clean water and there is something to see,” Golov said IA Regnum.
He advises not to neglect the services of tour operators, trying to save money when traveling to distant countries.
“Today, travel agents earn from 3 to 5% from the sale of a tour and pay taxes with this money. In response, clients receive advice and are under control during the trip. This is more reliable than booking tickets on the marketplace, tempted by cashback, and then finding out on the spot that your seats have been sold,” warns the president of the Union of Travel Agencies.
In Europe, there are fewer and fewer Russian tourists — and it’s not their fault. Recently, for example, Norway closed the border, leaving Russians without fjords.
“I have been to Norway twice. Our landscapes in Karelia are no worse than their fjords. A real exotic experience for Russians is to plunge into the warm sea in January. And this can be done in Egypt, Thailand or Cuba,” says Sergey Golov.
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