Where did Russian tourists rest in summer 2018?

Turkey became the undisputed leader of summer season 2018 – over the first 8 months of this year almost 4.2 million Russians have rested there. According to preliminary forecasts of tour operators, by the end of 2018 the number of Russian tourists in Turkey will grow by 15% compared with last year - i.e. up to 5.4 million people. ANEX Tour operator noted, that the demand for Turkey this summer increased by 15% compared to last year, Coral Travel reports about increasing of 17%, in Intourist sales rose up to 45% and in Biblio-Globus - up to 55%. According to estimates of tour operators and travel agents, Turkey’s share of all the sold tours in the summer months is 40–50%. But, even after optimizing of transportation, there was some excess on the direction. So, in July the cost of a flight in a package tour reached $ 50 while a real cost was more than $ 300. Cheap Turkey has become one of the factors that pulled tourists from other foreign destinations. The average prices of tours on Turkish direction ranged from 65.1 thousand Rubles ($ 987) for two persons for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 70 thousand Rubles ($ 1,061) in early September, reaching a peak in late June and early August (80 thousand Rubles - $1,213). Note, that these tours included "All Inclusive” food, in contrast to most other areas. This largely determined the success of the Turkish product. On the second line in the list of hosted tourists is Greece. "In summer 2018, the rest on the islands of Greece is the most popular. First of all it is Crete, followed by Rhodes and Corfu," – reports the press service of TUI operator. Traditionally, the tours on AI and FB bases are in great demand among organized tourists in Greece. This summer, the share of Greece in the sales of tour operators has decreased by about 2-3 percentage points. The excellent results of early booking were followed by summer sales, which were behind the planned figures. The players of tourism market consider that the reason for this is the weakening of ruble against euro and, as a result, the rise of prices on Greek direction. Tour operators had to adjust their flight programs: adjustments were made in all regions of Russia from the beginning of the season and in fact to the end. On average, transportation to Greece was reduced by 15% and the reductions were both in the regions and in the capital. Tickets to Greece "burned" in August. On average, the reduction of transportation to Greece in the summer season reached up to 10% from the level of last year. The average prices on Greek direction ranged from 50.1 thousand Rubles ($ 758) for two persons for a seven-day tour at the beginning of the season up to 90 thousand Rubles ($ 1,364) in early September. The top two countries are followed by Tunisia, Cyprus and Spain. The demand for Tunisia increased in summer from 5% to 15% among large market players compared to last year indicators.