Number of outbound tourism trips from Russia 2014-2022

In 2022, approximately 22.5 million outbound tourist trips were taken abroad by Russian tourists, up 17 percent from the previous year. In 2020, the figures sharply decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering all travel purposes, Russians’ most popular outbound destinations were Abkhazia (recognized as a state by Russia) and Turkey.

Russian outbound tourism spending

Russia had the 14th highest international tourism expenditure worldwide, at around 11.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. After a sharp decline by more than 70 percent in 2020, the spending was forecast to continue decreasing in the following years until 2028, negatively impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Russians’ tourism destinations

Turkey was the leading international tourism destination, visited by over 5.2 million Russians with tourism purposes in 2022. The United Arab Emirates ranked second, with a tourist count of around 1.2 million. Tanzania and the Maldives experienced a tourist boost from Russia in 2020, as the countries' borders were open to Russians in spite of COVID-19 restrictions.