Russian tourists beat the record in Turkey in January

Russia was the leader in tourist arrivals to Turkey in January 2022, breaking the record before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This is reported by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), referring to the data of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the country.

According to the Turkish ministry, 1 286 666 trips were made to the country in January 2022, of which more than 134 000 were made by Russians. At the same time, this indicator became a record one, since in January 2019 Russians made 91,7 thousand trips.

The preferences of Russians on the place of travel have also changed. If in January 2020 more than 43% of visits were to Antalya, then in January 2022 this value decreased to 32,2%. But the popularity of Istanbul has increased significantly. If before the pandemic, in January 2020, this city accounted for 48,6% of the Russian tourist flow, then in January 2022 this share exceeded 64%.

Tour operators noted that Istanbul has become popular since the beginning of winter. This is due to the fact that most of all close sightseeing and city foreign destinations were closed for Russians, and Istanbul became a certain replacement.

In early February, it was reported that after the end of early booking promotions, prices for travel to Turkey would skyrocket by at least 50% compared to 2021, and in some segments they could jump by 60%.