After a pandemic, most Russian tourists would like to go on vacation abroad

Nearly 90% of Russian tourists, after cancelation of travel restrictions, would like to go on vacation abroad, while most of them are waiting for price increases for flights and hotels, a survey conducted by NAFI analytical center showed.

“In the short term, 42% of respondents want to spend summer vacations in Russia. However, after normalizing the epidemiological situation, most Russian tourists (88%) would prefer to travel abroad: 44% in the near future would go on vacation to Europe, 23% to Asia. Only 12% will choose a trip to Russia after opening the borders," NAFI reports.

Among young travelers (from 18 to 34 years old), Russia is an unpopular destination for travel (7%). They prefer to go on vacation to the countries of Europe (42%) or Asia (25%).

“Most tourists also expect higher prices for air and train tickets after the pandemic. According to respondents, tickets for airplanes (74%) and trains (62%) are more likely to grow," the study said.

"It is noteworthy that despite the dropping of the ruble, tourists expect higher prices for hotel accommodation in Russia, not abroad. They expect that Russian tourist facilities will take more advantage from the situation of increased demand within the country than their foreign colleagues," commented Irina Ivankova, the head of the Tourism and Transport research department at NAFI analytical center.