With summer on the way, many travellers are booking their holidays and looking forward to a trip to foreign shores. A recent survey from Russian hotel booking site oktogo.ru has led to a interesting top ten list of preferred destinations for Russian travellers as it shows a leaning towards the Mediterranean and European cultural cities and a dramatic decline in interest towards an old favourite.
Russian tourists plan to spend more time on Mediterranean islands and in European cities this summer.
The top three destinations named for summer vacations in 2014 were Spain, Italy and Portugal, although Greece, Turkey and France also ranked highly. While the results show that the average length of stay for Russian tourists in Europe is six days, there is a clear trend for longer beach holidays as visitors plan 13 day trips to islands in Greece, as well as Tenerife and Majorca, and up to 15 days in Bulgarian coastal resorts. As Russians head to the coasts of the Mediterranean, incoming tourists appear to have a similar desire for sun and sand; many are expected to arrive in Sochi this season because of it status as a Black Sea resort and host of the Winter Olympics and there also positive forecasts for Anapa.
TOP 10 Travel Destinations for Russian Tourists
Spain
Italy
Portugal
Greece
Turkey
Bulgaria
France
Czech Republic
Germany
UK
Naturally, a survey focusing on June to August will show an obvious bias towards sunnier climes but it is not just Mediterranean hotspots making the list. Germany and Britain also make the top ten, with London being named as the place where Russian visitors will spend the most money on hotel bills. The average hotel budget is said to be 4000 rubles/$118 but here they are spending 6400 rubles/$188 dollars a night. City breaks in Europe may be less popular than beach holidays but they still fare well; Barcalona, Rome and Paris rank highly and the Baltic cities of Riga and Vilnius are also popular but Kiev has dropped out of favour following the recent conflict. Again, Russian cities are also popular with incoming tourists with the Tatarstan capital of Kazan being a notable choice and five day trips to Moscow and St Petersburg being the most popular options.
TOP 10 Cities Visited by Russian Travellers
Barcelona
Roma
Paris
Prague
Tallin
London
Lissabon
Riga
Istanbul
Vilnius
