Based on the statistics for the three quarters of this year, in 2019 the increase in the total outbound tourist flow in annual terms will be about 7%.
According to ATOR (Association of Tour Operators of Russia), more than 80% of Russian tourists choose beach destinations for holidays, so there were no surprises in the issue of leadership: by the end of 2019 Turkey will remain as the number 1 destination in Russian outbound tourism. The volume of outgoing flow to Turkey has already exceeded 6,7 million, with an annual increase of + 15% compared to 2018. A great contribution for the positive dynamics of Turkey on the Russian market has expansion of the season’s duration - this winter charters to Antalya actively fly for the New Year and charters from 6 Russian cities to Istanbul appeared for the first time for the entire winter period.
Turkey is followed by Thailand, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Tunisia.
As for the dynamics of the growth of annual tourist flow, Italy is a leader here, and has shown an annual increase in the number of tourist trips higher than Turkey itself.
In the winter season and the New Year's Days, Thailand is the leader among all outbound destinations. In winter the vast majority of Russians prefer beach destinations. Ski and excursion European destinations show stagnation in demand or a relatively small increase in tourist flow.
The average cost of a New Year's holiday at outbound resorts, taking into account early booking sales, amounted to 1 002 – 1 074 Euros per person for a week.
According to the results of three quarters, the increase in the number of foreigners who came to Russia with tourist purposes amounted to 20%. China remains the leader in terms of the number of tourists, but Korea, Germany, Italy, Spain have shown best results in terms of growth of tourist flow.
A significant increase in the number of foreign tourists in Russia is observed largely due to put-up demand after the World Cup in 2018. The diversification of tourism products (entering into the tourist range the Arctic and other regions of the Russian Federation) and the introduction of an electronic visa regime for a number of territories also facilitated the increase in the tourist flow to Russia. All this led, among other things, to expanding of the framework of the tourist season in Russian inbound tourism.
