The UAE now ranks the second in popularity among Russian tourists

Turkey remains the most popular summer foreign destination for Russian tourists, and the United Arab Emirates has risen to the second place, ahead of Egypt. This is despite the fact that traditionally this resort is considered as winter one, said Alexan Mkrtchyan, vice-president of the Alliance of Travel Agencies.

“Egypt has not been a priority destination for Russians since the beginning of the season. The country does not allow dual-registration aircraft. So, cheap flights have disappeared, and vacations have become incomparably more expensive than in Turkey. The United Arab Emirates came out ahead,” he said at a press conference.

As Mkrtchyan noted, accommodation in the UAE at a 5* hotel on an all-inclusive basis is now 20-30% cheaper than a similar holiday in Turkey.

"We have more than 700 flights a week to the UAE. And now the hottest months are in the United Arab Emirates. And starting from October, we are waiting for a thousand flights a week. This means that the strong second place is assigned to the destination, and from the beginning of November - the first one. And with the beginning of November, when flights from the regions to Turkish Dalaman and Bodrum disappeared, the UAE will become the leading outbound destination for Russians," the expert concluded.

Data from the hotel booking service Mts Travel confirms that the UAE is now the second most popular destination among Russian tourists.

"The share of Turkey among foreign countries is about 25%. These are both group and independent tourists. The UAE is in the second place, Thailand is in the third. Egypt and China follow after," said Anastasia Samoilova, a representative of Mts Travel company.