Russian tourists have significantly increased the demand for Europe

The trend to return Russian tourists to Europe, despite visa problems, was recorded by Russian experts. In some areas, there has even been an increase of demand. Although this, of course, cannot be compared with pre-pandemic figures.

According to Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Travel Industry Association, “despite the existing difficulties, including the abolition of visa facilitation, the demand for Russian tourists on European destinations in the first half of this year increased compared to 2022. “In 2023, we are seeing an increase of demand for travel to Europe. Despite the abolition of visa facilitation and an increase of the processing time of documents, Russian tourists choose popular European destinations - Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Cyprus and other countries," he said.

The growing popularity of Europe was also affected by the fact that the number of connecting flights has increased. Tourists have a chance to choose a flight to Europe with a connection in Istanbul, Yerevan, Baku and Doha.

“However, compared to 2019, the number of Russian tourists in Europe has declined sharply — by about 75-80%. But this year there is a tendency for tourists to return to certain destinations,” the expert added.