Official data on the Russian travel market has been released

In the first half of 2025, trips abroad from Russia increased by 7.8 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 13.7 million . According to data from the Federal Security Service ( FSB ), this increase includes all trips for tourism, business, education, private visits, and permanent residence. The increase in leisure travel is even more pronounced: the number of Russians traveling abroad between January and June 2025 reached 5.7 million, a 15.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Tourist travel to Türkiye has fallen

According to a report by TürkRus , Turkey is the clear leader in Russian travel. In the first six months of 2025, before the busy summer holidays even begin, a total of 2.6 million trips were made to Turkey. This figure represents an 18.6 percent increase compared to 2023. However, tourist visits saw a slight decrease of 1.6 percent compared to 2024 , remaining at 1.73 million.

Turkey was the first stop for one in five passengers departing from Russia, accounting for 18.8% of total international travel. Additionally, approximately 150,000 people transited to Europe via Turkey.

Abkhazia ranked second on the list, but the increase was largely due to frequent entries and exits by Abkhaz citizens with Russian passports. The actual number of tourists visiting Abkhazia is estimated at approximately 665,000.

This country was followed by Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, China , and Egypt. Travel to China saw a remarkable 40.5 percent increase, while travel to Egypt rose 10.7 percent. The top 10 countries accounted for 83.6 percent of total travel, while other countries accounted for 16.4 percent.

On the other hand, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko announced that the number of foreign tourists coming to the country in the January-May period of 2025 increased by 14 percent compared to the same period last year, exceeding 1.6 million.

"Similarly, the number of trips made by foreign tourists between January and May 2025 exceeded 1.6 million. This figure represents a 14 percent increase compared to the same period last year," Chernyshenko said.

Chernyshenko stated that China, Saudi Arabia, India and the United Arab Emirates stand out among the distant countries where the most tourists come.

The fastest growing markets were listed as follows: • Oman: 140 percent increase • Indonesia: 126 percent increase • Malaysia: 107 percent increase

• Saudi Arabia: 61 percent increase