RUSSIAN OUTBOUND TRAVEL REBOUNDS IN 2025

Russians are increasingly taking to both roads and airways, seemingly undeterred by geopolitical tensions and economic challenges in their pursuit of sunny vacations and cultural experiences abroad. According to fresh data from the Russian Federal Security Service’s Border Service, Russian outbound travel has seen a significant rise, with 10.35 million journeys recorded in the third quarter alone – a 5.4% increase compared to the corresponding period in 2024.

The cumulative figure for the first nine months of the year reached 24 million, representing a 6.75% year-on-year growth and the strongest quarterly showing since the final months of 2019.

This rebound effectively concludes a period of decline prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and related sanctions, highlighting tourism’s role as a release valve for pent-up travel desires. “Russians seem to be traveling not only for recreation but also in search of a sense of normalcy,” suggested analysts from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), who carefully examined the raw border data to distinguish genuine tourist movements from broader migration patterns.

Regional Neighbors: Moderate but Consistent Flows

While the overarching figures are impressive, a more detailed examination reveals some interesting aspects. Of the 24 million departures between January and September, about 37.2% – or 10.81 million – remained within the region, specifically targeting the group of former Soviet states and territories such as Abkhazia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and Uzbekistan. Growth in this area was relatively modest at just 1.9% year-on-year, driven more by regular cross-border commuting than holiday travel.

Abkhazia is particularly noteworthy, accounting for 4.58 million “visits” from Russian citizens – almost half of the total for near-abroad destinations. However, ATOR offers a slightly different perspective, noting that a substantial portion of this figure includes daily crossings by Abkhazians with dual citizenship, thus artificially inflating the count. Preliminary estimates place actual tourist arrivals closer to 1.37 million, with nearly half consisting of short day trips from Russia’s Krasnodar region. This is markedly lower than the often-cited figures of 5-6 million, and approximately one-quarter of the volume to popular Turkey.

If Abkhazia is excluded from the equation, near-abroad outbound travel increases by 4.8%. Georgia and Uzbekistan experienced leading gains of 12.6% and 11.9% respectively, probably thanks to greater appeal for leisure travel. Kazakhstan (+7.6%) and Armenia (+6.3%) followed, whereas Tajikistan’s modest 5.6% growth was mainly due to business-related travel. Declines were seen in Azerbaijan (-17.4%), Kyrgyzstan (-6.4%), and Turkmenistan (-35.9%), suggesting that non-tourist factors were more important.

Asia and Beyond Dominate Growth

The most significant gains were observed in non-CIS destinations, where tourist-focused travel to 32 prominent locations – from Turkey to Tunisia – increased by 12.9% to 13.46 million trips. Taking into account adjusted figures for Abkhazia, total Russian outbound travel reached approximately 14.8 million, a 12.2% jump from 2024’s 13.2 million.

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Vietnam emerged as a star performer with a phenomenal 173% increase, breaking into the top 10 at sixth place, thanks largely to charter flights from 18 Russian cities. Japan followed with a 103% rise, surpassing 2019 levels despite limited direct connections, with travelers using connecting flights. Egypt completed the top three with a 36.8% increase, expanding its flight network and attracting beach tourists year-round.

Indonesia (+33.3%) gained from new Bali flight routes, while China (+26.6%) benefited from visa-free entry introduced in September and also increased air capacity. The Maldives (+22.4%) and South Korea (+15.2%) rounded out the top seven, with around 40% of Russian travelers reaching the Maldives via layovers in the UAE.

Not every destination experienced growth. Cuba saw a decrease due to reduced flight availability, Serbia due to decreased demand, and Sri Lanka and Qatar had relatively modest decreases in the top 15.

A Cautious Optimism Amid Uncertainties

Smaller destinations are also displaying significant growth, often from relatively small baselines. Tunisia experienced a staggering increase of 406% to 22,425 visits, helped by new direct flights. Jordan increased 104% to 5,549 visits, North Korea grew by 60.8% to 7,499 visits due to the opening of new resorts, and Kuwait saw a 31.2% rise linked to transit opportunities.

Morocco’s increase of 57.4% to 307,807 trips was supported by more frequent direct flights, Saudi Arabia increased by 36.3% to 36,089 visits following launches in August, and double-digit increases were recorded for Bahrain, Oman, and the Seychelles.

Tentative Positivity Despite Potential Issues

This surge—comparable only to the nearly 11 million trips seen in late 2019—suggests a significant release of pent-up travel desires, as airlines and travel companies struggle to keep pace. However, ATOR notes that overall border numbers conflate tourism with labor movements, and risks persist: fluctuating ruble values, travel limitations, and international instability could disrupt progress.

For Russia’s populace of 144 million, the implication is evident: opportunities abroad are available, and they are responding in unprecedented volumes. Looking forward to winter, the focus shifts to the fourth quarter—will the holiday season maintain this upward trajectory, or will it diminish like early snowfall?

Top 10 tourist destinations abroad in the first three quarters of 2025