About 3,5 million Russian tourists went on vacation to foreign countries during the summer

An analysis of the booking statistics of Russia's largest tour operators showed that about 3,5 million Russians went on vacation abroad during the summer season, which is 50% less than before the pandemic in 2019.

"According to preliminary estimates, about 3,5 million Russians went abroad for the purpose of tourism and recreation in the summer three months. Turkey, Abkhazia and the United Arab Emirates became the most popular destinations. Tour operators sent 1,85 million tourists to Turkey over the summer, 800 thousand - to Abkhazia, in the UAE - 170-180 thousand tourists," the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reports with reference to the analysis.

Also, the TOP-5 most popular destinations included Egypt, where about 100 thousand tourists were sent, and the Maldives - 55 thousand.

ATOR added that in addition to the TOP-5, in the summer six CIS countries were in demand among Russians. Direct flights were available to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Tourists made about 800 thousand trips to these countries, but mostly not for tourism purposes. The flow for the purpose of tourism did not exceed 150-200 thousand people, including group tourists - no more than 70 thousand people.