February sales analysis from Baginet shows a steady interest toward visa‑free beach destinations, with the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, and Thailand leading the market. European countries like Greece maintain a niche but are constrained by bureaucratic hurdles. The analysis below is based on the February 2026 reports of sales calls conducted by Baginet with 137 travel managers across seven countries: Kazakhstan (29.7%), Russia (24.3%), Uzbekistan (16.2%), Kyrgyzstan (10.8%), Armenia (8.1%) Georgia (5.4%), Azerbaijan (5.4%).
Popular Destinations and Sales Trends
The UAE remains one of the most sought‑after destinations across all surveyed markets. It is consistently mentioned alongside Turkey, Egypt, and Thailand as a top seller. The primary driver is the visa‑free regime, which makes it highly attractive compared to European alternatives. While Dubai is the most frequently booked emirate, other emirates also receive attention, though to a lesser extent. Agencies typically offer package tours from local tour operators, but many also handle individual flight+hotel requests.
Turkey, Egypt, Vietnam, and Thailand are consistently in high demand. They are often cited as the core portfolio of most agencies, alongside the UAE. The reasons include affordable packages, ease of booking, and no visa hassles (or simplified visa procedures). In Russia and CIS countries, these destinations dominate the outbound tourism market, with Turkey and Egypt being particularly strong in beach holidays, while Vietnam and Thailand appeal to longer‑haul travellers.
European destinations like Greece, Cyprus, Italy are popular in principle but face a significant barrier: the Schengen visa requirement. In Armenia and Georgia, Greece is well‑known and generates steady interest, yet actual bookings remain moderate. In Azerbaijan, the visa hurdle severely limits sales, and Greece is rarely booked. Direct flights from some cities (e.g., Tbilisi to Athens, Baku to Athens/Crete) have slightly boosted demand, but the overall volume is low compared to visa‑free destinations. Agencies report that tourists increasingly prefer destinations where no visa is required, which directly impacts European sales.
Sales Channels
The vast majority of agencies rely on package tours from major tour operators (e.g., Kompas, FUN&SUN, Intourist, etc.) for destinations like the UAE, Turkey, and Egypt. However, a growing number of agencies also fulfil individual requests (flight + hotel) to meet specific client needs, especially for the UAE and Greece.
This sales analysis is derived from de-identified data collected during meetings conducted by Baginet, a creative advertising and consulting agency specializing in tourism representation and marketing for international hotels and destinations. A core part of Baginet's work involves direct, face-to-face engagement with the travel agent community. On average, Baginet's team conducts over 100 face-to-face meetings with travel agencies across Russia and the CIS every month.
