The number of countries that Russians can visit by direct flights from Russia increased in December 2023 to 40 countries compared to the same period last year, which is an increase of 25%, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) said.
In a statement on January 13, ATOR stated: “The number of countries with direct flights to Russia increased by 25% by the end of 2023 compared to December 2022. Russian and foreign airlines plan to operate direct flights from the Russian Federation to 40 countries in 2024. A year earlier, there were only 32 countries on this list.”
Among the countries that Russians can fly directly to are Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Hong Kong (China), Turkey, Georgia, Egypt, India, North Korea, Cuba, Morocco, Mongolia...
A significant event is the launch of direct flights to Georgia, ATOR notes. Vietnam, Hong Kong and China's Hainan are also of interest to Russian tourists.
According to a study by MTS Travel, Türkiye will remain the most popular destination for Russian tourists in 2023. The next most popular destinations are the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China.
The importance of Egypt for Russian tourists has not changed, with the country being preferred by 10% of Russian tourists. The last country in the top 5 destinations for Russian tourists is Thailand.