Leading outbound travel destinations in Russia 2022-2023
Abkhazia was the most popular outbound destination for Russians in 2023, with over 5.7 million tourists visiting that territory, compared to 5.4 million recorded in the previous year. The number of travelers visiting Turkey exceeded 5.4 million. In total, Russians made approximately 22.5 million outbound trips in 2022.
Could Russians travel during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic effect on outbound tourism in Russia. In 2020, the number of trips to Turkey decreased by 68.4 percent year-on-year. After Russia closed its borders in mid-March 2020, travelling from the country was not possible, except for medical, educational, and business travel purposes, which was allowed since June. Borders with the United Kingdom, Tanzania, and Turkey were opened in August, and with Cuba, Serbia, and Japan in October. Given the high incidence of COVID-19 cases in Russia, the European Union did not include it in its list of non-EU countries considered safe for travel. Thus, the bordering country Finland was the most popular outbound destination from Russia between January and June 2020, as the largest share of travelers was represented by vehicle drivers, people with a residence permit in Finland, and those with a double citizenship. Due to the risk of infections with new COVID-19 variants, Russia closed the border with Turkey and Tanzania again in April 2021.
How did COVID-19 impact Russians' travel plans?
Over 60 percent of Russians planned to spend their summer vacation at home in 2020. In July, after the lockdown was largely lifted across the regions, the government introduced a cashback program encouraging the population to go on holiday within Russia. Upon fulfilling certain conditions, the travelers could receive up to 20 percent of the tour’s price, with a maximum of 20 thousand Russian rubles. One of the conditions was to pay for the tour with a card of the Russian payment system "Mir." More than 40 percent of respondents in Russia expressed their willingness to take part in the program.
