Russian tour operators have evacuated 90% of their tourists from the Persian Gulf countries by the end of March 10.
According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Analytical Service, by the late evening of March 10, approximately 90% of tour operator clients have been returned to Russia from six Persian Gulf countries, which the Russian Ministry of Economic Development has not recommended for tourist travel.
Evacuation programs from the UAE are intensifying: according to tour operator FUN&SUN (the largest player in the UAE market, accounting for approximately 50% of all organized tourist flow to the country), by the morning of March 10, 80% of their tourists who vacationed in the UAE, Oman, and Qatar had returned to Russia, and another 10% are expected to return within 24 hours.
Another major player in the Gulf Arab region, tour operator Space Travel, reported that 90% of its tourists had already left the Persian Gulf region as of the morning of March 10.
Tour operator Russian Express has already evacuated 85% of its clients from the Persian Gulf, and by the evening, that figure will exceed 90%. Other major tour operators are reporting similar figures.
Also, within the next 24 hours, 10% of all Russians stranded on ships since February 28 will remain in the Persian Gulf. Initially, there were approximately 1,500 of them.
Aeroflot announced that it will end its evacuation flight program from the UAE on March 11. Further scheduled flights to the country will resume once the situation returns to normal.
Meanwhile, in third countries - exotic islands and Asia - Russian organized tourists still remain, awaiting the launch of transit flights with connections in the Persian Gulf.
Based on initial estimates of the number of tour operator clients in this region of approximately 30,000 (package tourists - more than 22,000, plus those who purchased individual services like hotels only, etc.), approximately 27,000 of these will have left the region by the evening of March 10, leaving approximately 3,000, mostly those who purchased hotel accommodations only.
According to preliminary estimates, a total of approximately 1,100–1,300 organized tourists who purchased package tours or hotels only from tour operators, excluding flights, may still be awaiting departure from island and Asian destinations.
Photo by Flightradar
