The Covid-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented effect on the tourism industry worldwide. And Russia is no exception to this rule. This is especially the case of international travel, which has come to an abrupt halt. In 2020, Russian tourists made only 3.7 million trips abroad, which is 80 % less than in 2019.
Another confirmation came from Russian airline Aeroflot, whose number of international passengers decreased by 86 % in January in contrast to 2020. Nevertheless, Russians see the light at the end of the tunnel amidst the health crisis.
Turkey, Thailand and Europe among the Favored Destinations
60 % of Russian tourists expect a full resumption of travel abroad in 2021. They named Turkey, Thailand, Egypt and Europe among the most desirable travel destinations. This was revealed by a survey conducted by Yandex.
More than 10 thousand people took part in this poll. As mentioned, Turkey, Thailand and Egypt are amongst the most favored destinations. In Europe, Russian travelers are most eager to visit Italy and Spain.
Moreover, the study showed that 68 % of respondents answered in the affirmative when asked whether opening borders will affect their plans.
At the same time, 45 % are ready to go abroad if the health situation improved. 9 % would do so even if the risk of infection remains, while 20 % of respondents said that they prefer to relax in Russia and the opening of borders will not affect them in any way.
Domestic Tourism Dominant
Survey participants also reported that in the past year and early 2021, most of them travelled around the country or stayed at home. Almost 40 % of the respondents did not leave their city, and 10 % went somewhere exclusively for work.
With regard to travel, 41 % of respondents spent their holidays in Russia. 4.3 % managed to travel both within the country as well as abroad, while those who travelled only abroad amounted to 4.6 %.
About a third of Russian tourists (35.5 %) believe that after the opening of the borders, tourism behavior will not change in any way. 27 % think that people will be more careful, as an increase in tourism flow can cause an increase in infections. Meanwhile, 22 % of respondents expect an increase in domestic tourism, and another 12 % expect that people will travel more often by their own car.