The number of Russian tourists to Tajikistan has increased
The number of tourists from Russia to Tajikistan has increased. This was stated by the head of the Tourism Development Committee under the Government of the Republic, Jamshed Jumahonzoda, during a press conference.

According to him, the republic's authorities attach great importance to attracting travelers from Russia. Answering a question…
https://russtd.com/the-number-of-russian-tourists-to-tajikistan-has-increased.html

Russian tourists named the safest and most dangerous countries for tourism
Russians named the countries they consider the safest and most dangerous for tourism. The survey was conducted by the Renaissance Insurance Group and Ozon Travel.

Belarus was recognized as the safest country for travel, which was indicated by every second respondent (51%). The top three also included China (33%) and Japan (17%). Maldives…
https://russtd.com/russian-tourists-named-the-safest-and-most-dangerous-countries-for-tourism.html

The preferences of Russian cruise tourists have changed over the past three years
Russian tourists are increasingly booking sea voyages abroad. They are not afraid of difficulties with visas, flights and not always convenient payment methods. Thus, this season, the demand for European and Asian cruises has grown significantly. Those airliners where it was possible to organize a Russian-language service and offer a turnkey program…
https://russtd.com/the-preferences-of-russian-cruise-tourists-have-changed-over-the-past-three-years.html

Russian tourists are increasingly interested in cruises to Antarctica
Antarctica is rapidly gaining popularity among cruise tourists all over the world. The share of Russians is also growing, although in Russia this destination still remains exotic of the highest order.

The main tourists in Antarctica are US citizens - according to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), they account…
https://russtd.com/russian-tourists-are-increasingly-interested-in-cruises-to-antarctica.html

Demand for travel to Japan remains high
The tourist flow from Russia to Japan increased by 76% in the first quarter of 2025. According to data published on the global website of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), 29.4 thousand Russians visited the country in January-March 2025.

This is 75.8% more than in the same period a year earlier. In March alone, 18.8 thousand…
https://russtd.com/demand-for-travel-to-japan-remains-high.html

Oil spill on the beaches of Fujairah
On April 11, 2025, an oil spill occurred in the Emirate of Fujairah (UAE) in the port area, located just a few kilometers from the hotel zone. The pollution quickly reached the shore and affected the coastline near the Novotel Fujairah, Al Bahar Hotel & Resort and Ibis Fujairah hotels. As a result of the incident, several beaches were temporarily…
https://russtd.com/oil-spill-on-the-beaches-of-fujairah.html

Demand for foreign travel among Russians has sharply increased because of strengthening of the ruble
The number of hotel bookings and sales of tours abroad increased sharply against the background of the strengthening of the ruble. The favorable rate encourages tourists from Russia to plan future trips, thanks to which tours for autumn and winter are sold, experts say.

According to SberCIB, from the beginning of the year to the end of…
https://russtd.com/demand-for-foreign-travel-among-russians-has-sharply-increased-because-of-strengthening-of-the-ruble.html

Popular European destinations among Russian tourists
According to OneTwoTrip Italy is the most popular destination among tourists — 31.4% of Russians plan the holidays in in Italy this year.

«France (19.5%), Spain (13.0%), Germany (5.4%) and Greece (4.9%) are also of interest. 67.3% of travelers said that their plans were affected by the lack of direct flights to European countries, so it…
https://russtd.com/popular-european-destinations-among-russian-tourists.html

New rules for issuing visas for Russians to France
On April 23, the French visa center in Moscow stopped accepting old-style passports from Russians. However, there was no information about this on its website or on the page of the French consulate. Travel agencies were also not officially notified. Later, screenshots of letters from the center's employees appeared in visa chats. They said that the…
https://russtd.com/new-rules-for-issuing-visas-for-russians-to-france.html

Indonesia plans to receive over 180 thousand Russian tourists in 2025
In 2024, the flow of Russian tourists to Indonesia increased by 11.71%, reaching a historical maximum. In 2025, Indonesia expects an increase in Russian tourist flow, the Indonesian Embassy in Russia said.

Tour operators also confirm the growing demand, calling Indonesia one of the most popular destinations among Russians, based on the…
https://russtd.com/indonesia-plans-to-receive-over-180-thousand-russian-tourists-in-2025.html

Beach tours to Greece in 2025
Demand for beach holidays in Greece this summer season has increased significantly, major Russian tour operators told to Vestnik ATOR. Companies PAKS and Ambotis Holidays draw attention to the increase in the depth of sales in the Greek direction: there are already bookings for October 2025.

Despite the difficult logistics of air travel…
https://russtd.com/beach-tours-to-greece-in-2025.html

TOP 10 countries - the main suppliers of foreign tourists to Russia
According to the Border Service of the Russian Federation, in the first quarter of 2025, 228851 foreigners visited Russia for tourism purposes. This is 4.62% more than in the first quarter of 2024 (218,750 people), but almost 2 times less than before the pandemic (almost 470 thousand tourists in the first quarter of 2019). At the same time, China…
https://russtd.com/top-10-countries-the-main-suppliers-of-foreign-tourists-to-russia.html

ATM 2025: Middle East Fights for Russian Tourists
From April 28 to May 1, the Arabian Travel Market international tourism exhibition was held in Dubai, which once again confirmed its status as the main event in the tourism industry. The exhibition broke the attendance record: 55,000 guests - 16% more than last year.

ATM 2025 clearly identified a key trend: the Gulf countries, including…
https://russtd.com/atm-2025-middle-east-fights-for-russian-tourists.html

Armenia is creating an all-in-one app for wine tourism
The Viticulture and Winemaking Foundation of Armenia is developing an app for wine tourism on the «all-inclusive» principle. In the app it will be possible to contact any winery, clarify the possibility of visiting and book a tour - both through tour guides and directly, without intermediaries.

The foundation is currently working on a test…
https://russtd.com/armenia-is-creating-an-all-in-one-app-for-wine-tourism.html

How to visit Russia with an electronic visa?
Since August 1, 2023, Russia has begun issuing unified electronic visas for foreign citizens. This is a simple and convenient tool that gives a foreign citizen the right to stay throughout Russia on a guest or business visit, as a tourist, to participate in scientific, cultural, socio-political, economic and sports events.
https://russtd.com/how-to-visit-russia-with-an-electronic-visa.html

Over 6.4 million Russians will spent the vacation abroad this summer
According to preliminary forecasts by ATOR analysts, this summer the volume of outbound tourist flow to popular foreign tourist destinations will grow by 24.8% year-on-year.

Space Travel notes that early booking of summer vacations this year is almost twice as successful as last year. The growth in demand for foreign vacations is due to…
https://russtd.com/over-6.4-million-russians-will-spent-the-vacation-abroad-this-summer.html

Visa abolition between Russia and Jordan: what will be the effect on mutual tourist flows
The order on concluding an agreement on the abolition of the visa regime with Jordan on a reciprocal basis was signed on May 27 by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. According to the document, the new rules establish a visa-free regime for trips up to 30 days, while in total it will be possible to stay in the country for up to 90 days per…
https://russtd.com/visa-abolition-between-russia-and-jordan-what-will-be-the-effect-on-mutual-tourist-flows.html

Tour operators have evacuated almost all Russian tourists from Israel and Iran
Almost all tourists from Russia who expressed their desire to leave Iran and Israel after the escalation of the conflict between the countries have already been evacuated or will be sent to Russia in the coming days. Information about this was published on the official website of the Russian Union of Travel Industry on June 18.
https://russtd.com/tour-operators-have-evacuated-almost-all-russian-tourists-from-israel-and-iran.html

The number of trips to the UAE and Egypt has decreased

From June 16 to 22, sales of tours to the UAE fell by more than 30%, to Egypt - by 9%. The outflow of Russian travelers due to the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East was felt by other countries in the region and long-haul destinations, for trips to which the UAE served as a hub. The situation may worsen even more with the restriction of flights to Qatar and Kuwait, travelers are already starting to look for alternative routes for themselves.

A drop in sales on Middle Eastern destinations was recorded not only by all major tour operators, but also by independent booking services.

The main drop was caused by the closure of the airspace of Iran, Israel, Jordan, neighboring countries and widespread flight delays. Some travelers were deprived of the opportunity to quickly return home, and tour operators were forced to partially stop selling tours.

On the evening of June 23, the situation became more complicated. The authorities of Qatar, which was subjected to a missile attack by Iran, officially announced the closure of its airspace. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) explained that no more than 100 organized tourists from Russia can currently be in the country. There may be significantly more independent travelers. Qatar is not considered a mass resort destination, but is actively used by Russians as a logistics hub for trips to other destinations. ATOR does not rule out that some travelers may now be waiting for connecting flights at the airport. Rosaviatsia has ordered Russian carriers not to operate flights to Qatar.

Problems have also started on other routes. ATOR reported the closure of Kuwait's airspace. A Turkish Airlines representative indicated on social media that the carrier had cancelled flights to the Persian Gulf countries scheduled for June 23. This concerns flights to Bahrain, Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar), Dubai, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Muscat (Oman).

Having abandoned trips to the Middle East, Russian tourists may partially reorient themselves to other destinations. Thus, at Ostrovok, following the results of last week, they noted a significant increase in demand for European destinations. The number of bookings for accommodation in Spain increased by 38%, in France - by 19%, and in Italy - by 8%. Growth was also shown by the Asian countries in demand this season. Interest in China increased by 5%, in Japan - by 7%. A pronounced redistribution of demand is also observed in the segment of organized tours. Sletat.ru notes that last week sales of tours to Cuba increased by 91.7%, Thailand showed an increase of 27.3%, and Abkhazia by 10.5%.

In Sri Lanka Russians were named leaders in daily vacation spending

Russian tourists in Sri Lanka spend an average of about 200 US dollars per day, which is more than the average spending of other foreign guests. This was reported to RIA Novosti by Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe.

«According to our estimates, Russian tourists spend about 200 dollars per day, which is more than the national average of 180», - Ranasinghe noted.

According to him, Russians often choose premium vacation formats — wellness treatments, surfing, and active entertainment, which makes them economically beneficial for the country.

Visa waiver agreement between Azerbaijan and China comes into force in July

The agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan and China on mutual visa waiver for holders of ordinary passports comes into force on July 16, 2025.
As reported by Oxu.Az with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all internal procedures necessary for the entry into force of the document signed on April 23, 2025 in Beijing have been completed.

In accordance with the agreement, citizens of Azerbaijan and China holding valid civil passports will be able to enter, exit and transit through the territory of the other country without visas for up to 30 days within one trip and no more than 90 days within any 180-day period.