Mabrian: Russian Tourists Changing Holiday Destinations

Russian travelers are veering away from classic European destinations and are opting instead to visit Turkey, a recent study by travel intelligence provider Mabrian found.

More specifically, according to a report based on the analysis of hotel demand in 2022 and average room rates in more than 700 destinations compared to pre-Covid 2019, Russian demand for holidays in Greece, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain is on a downward trend.

Instead, Russian holidaymakers are choosing Turkey, the UAE, and Thailand. Turkey is actually the destination that grew the most in 2022.

Mabrian analysts attribute the change to the impact of sanctions on Russians, travel restrictions due to EU and UK visa requirements, the ban on direct flights as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war and the devalued ruble.

Source: Mabrian.

Looking at more than 2 million reviews posted by Russians over the last two years, Mabrian found that destinations in the Middle East and Asia were gaining ground among Russian travelers while Georgia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan were among the Top 20 preferred destinations for Russians in 2022.

Russia was one of Greece’s main source markets in 2019, now drastically reduced. Italy meanwhile marked the largest decline in tourists from Russia over the last two years.

“The Russian travel market has been deeply impacted by the current situation. Fewer travelers and a changing profile with tourists exploring new destinations in the Middle East, Asia, and neighboring countries, all of which seem very keen to capture the market share by welcoming Russian travelers,” said Carlos Cendra, director of marketing & sales Mabrian.