The proportion of tourists from the Middle East intending to visit Russia during the winter season has risen to 38% over the past year. Citizens from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are the most frequent bookers of hotels in Russia, according to the findings of a study conducted by the online hotel booking service Ostrovok.ru (text available to TASS).
"This winter, the primary demand for trips to Russia is coming from tourists in the Middle East, constituting 38% of all bookings. Last year, their overall share was significantly smaller at 23%. The majority of reservations are from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait, and Oman," stated the experts from the service.
Tourists from European countries constitute almost a quarter of all foreign bookings for the winter season, marking a decrease from the previous year's leading share of 32%. French, German, Dutch, Italian, and Estonian travelers are the most frequent planners. Asian tourists account for 19% of bookings, with travelers from Thailand, India, China, Indonesia, and Japan being the primary contributors. Citizens from CIS countries make up 10% of all foreign bookings, with the largest flow coming from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Armenia. Overall, since the beginning of 2023, foreign tourists have made twice as many reservations in Russian hotels compared to the first 11 months of 2022, with winter arrivals witnessing a nearly fourfold increase. Moscow remains the most popular destination, accounting for up to 60% of all bookings in the country, followed by St. Petersburg (18%), Murmansk, Kazan, Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Teriberka, Sochi, and Yakutsk.
"It is noteworthy that this winter, Murmansk (4%) has risen to the top three leading cities, surpassing Kazan. Alongside it, the village of Teriberka on the shores of the Barents Sea entered the top, although last year it was far outside the top twenty. Irkutsk has noticeably increased in popularity, securing the sixth place in the rating (last winter it was in the 11th position), and Novosibirsk - the seventh position (last year - 22nd place)," as highlighted in the study.
According to Ostrovok.ru, the majority of foreign tourists booking accommodation in Russia are for two adults (46%), although this figure has slightly decreased compared to last year (51% in winter 2022). Solo travelers constitute almost a third of bookings, at 31% (compared to 40% in 2022). Interestingly, group and family travel have gained popularity, with the share of bookings for four people or more increasing from 2% to 10%. Similarly, the share of bookings with children rose from 4% to 8% year-on-year. Bookings for three adults accounted for 5% (compared to 3% last year).
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Free-Photos/Pixabay
Based on materials from TASS