Russian tourists are increasingly booking sea voyages abroad. They are not afraid of difficulties with visas, flights and not always convenient payment methods.

Despite the sanctions, difficulties in obtaining visas and the lack of direct flights, Russian tourists do not refuse to travel to Europe in the summer season of 2024.

According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) the shelling of Israel by Iran on April 13-14 had only a slight impact on tour demand to popular Middle Eastern and North African destinations.

Russian travelers made 14 million trips in 2023 ( with the exception of post-Soviet countries).

The tour operator Fun&Sun has put up for sale additional tour packages to Sharm el-Sheikh on Ural Airlines flights from Moscow. The airline's charter flights on the route Moscow – Sharm el-Sheikh will be operated from Domodedovo on Airbus aircraft twice a week.

Compared to December, February shows a sharp increase in the share of tour sales to the UAE. The share of Egypt is growing, the share of sales of Russia and Thailand is stable.

Egypt is now in TOP 3 in sales of Coral Travel. In 2024, the tour operator plans to add flights from the regions to Hurghada. Now prices for tours for 13 nights (two weeks) with a flight from Sochi to Sharm el-Sheikh on January 26 to a 4* hotel, AI start from $ 1 970 for two persons.

Turkey will account for a third of all Fun&Sun sales in 2024. In the second and third places in the list of the company’s key destinations are Egypt and the UAE.

Egypt is the leader among vacation destinations in terms of sales of travel agencies, while prices for December tours decreased by about 20% before the New Year.

Over the three quarters of 2023, the outbound flow from Russia amounted to 21 020 012 people, which is 12,4% higher compared to the same period in 2022.

The most popular destinations where tourists and vacationers often book tours on the eve of the New Year are the UAE, Turkey, Thailand, Egypt and the Russian Federation. Sometimes Sri Lanka is included in the TOP of the most popular destinations.

Coral Travel this winter season will operate flights to Egypt, the UAE, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Cuba and Turkey (Antalya) from a total of 16 Russian cities.

Turkey is one of the popular New Year destinations in the sales of Russian tour operators. In terms of current demand, the country is in the TOP 5, occupying from 6% to 17% of New Year's sales from different companies, after the UAE, Egypt, Thailand and, in some cases, Russia.

In the summer of 2023, the organized outbound tourist flow from Russia increased by 15% compared to the same period in 2022.

In the winter season 2023/2024, Pegas Touristik tourists will be able to fly to 6 countries on direct charter flights, as well as on regular flights, on boards of which the tour operator has taken blocks of seats. Three destinations, according to forecasts, will become driving routes in the winter season.

In January-August, Egypt recorded an increase of the number of arrivals of Russians by 62% compared to last year and expects that by the end of 2023, up to 1,5 million tourists from Russia will visit the country.

Tourists from 10 Russian cities can already start booking tours to Egypt for the winter. The tour operator Anex announced the launch of winter sales in Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.

New charters to Egypt from three regions of Russia were launched by the tour operator Biblio-Globus on the wings of Rossiya airline. According to the data from the air company, departures are carried out from Nizhny Novgorod, Samara and Ufa.

The tour operator Intourist launches charter flights to the resorts of Egypt on the boards of the Egyptian Red Sea Airlines. The start of the program is scheduled for June 16.

The tour operator Tez Tour announced the extension of the program to Egypt for the summer of 2023. The flight program on the flights of Red Wings has been announced from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Yekaterinburg to the resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.

The tour operator Coral Travel will continue to transport tourists to Egypt on direct flights from Moscow in the summer as well. Until May 15, the flight program to the Red Sea resorts is carried out on Egypt Air flights. From mid-May, flights to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh will be operated as part of the block program on Azur air.

Some tourists are reoriented from Turkey to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and even Tunisia. This is due to high prices. Not everyone is ready to pay $ 2 500 - $ 3 850 for 7 nights at those Turkish hotels that used to cost 1,5–2 times cheaper.

Egypt is one of the leaders of demand for the May holidays, but the peak of sales of the destination has not yet arrived.

Egypt moved from the third position to the first since March 8, having increased its share by 6 points. The UAE lost a little - 2 points, Thailand lost 5 points. And Turkey, on the contrary, increased its share by 4 points.