Number of outbound tourists from Russia 2024, by territory

In 2024, Turkey was the most popular outbound tourism destination for Russians. In total, Russian tourists made ****million trips to Turkey over that period, including transit. The number of tourist trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the second-highest, measuring at almost *** million.

Russia is the main source of inbound tourism in Turkey

The highest number of international tourists visiting Turkey comes from Russia, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). The arrival count from Russia declined by ** percent in 2020 as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. In 2023, the number of arrivals was below pre-pandemic levels, though it has increased steadily since 2020.

Russians' travel destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, when COVID-19 started to spread in Russia, international flights were suspended, and they were resumed only with several countries from the summer of 2020. Thus, most Russians spent their vacations in the country in that year. The Krasnodar Krai on the Black Sea was the most popular summer travel destination in 2020. Other attractive tourist spots included the Republic of Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, the two largest cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the Caucasian Mineral Waters for medical tourism, and Lake Baikal for environmental tourism. Travel to most EU countries remained challenging for Russians in 2021 because none of the domestic COVID-19 vaccines were approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Among international destinations, Turkey maintained its leading position, while the Seychelles, the Maldives, and Tanzania gained popularity among the tourists.