This year, Russians are buying up tours for the May holidays twice as actively as they did a year earlier, booking services told Izvestia. Almost half of all applications are for trips with children. Citizens are going to Turkey, Egypt, UAE and Abkhazia, and among domestic destinations North Caucasus and Kaliningrad are leading. At the same time, travel to Turkey and within Russia has become more expensive, while travel to Egypt and UAE has lost up to 10% of its price. Tickets began to be booked well in advance because of a particularly long weekend this year - on each of the May holidays it will be possible to rest for four days in a row, experts explained.
Where Russians are going on May holidays
The level of demand for tours with arrivals during the May holidays this year is twice higher than in 2024, told "Izvestia" in booking services. Almost half of all applications for the May holidays this year came from travelers with children, noted in the service "Sletat.ru".
Among the most popular destinations for May holidays were Turkey, Egypt, UAE, Abkhazia, China, Maldives and Thailand, as well as domestic destinations. In Russia, tours to the Krasnodar Territory, the Caucasus and the Kaliningrad region are most often chosen.
The average check for a trip to Turkey for May holidays increased by 12.6% (up to Br178 thousand), in Russia - by 21.8% (up to Br99.2 thousand). But for Egypt, the average check decreased by 9.4%, to Br230.1 thousand. A slightdecrease was also recorded for the UAE, with an average of Br266 thousand spent on vacation there.
According to the data of "Aviaceils", the three fastest growing domestic destinations for holidays in May are Kaliningrad, where they are going on average for four days, Mineralnye Vody (booked on average for eight days) and Moscow (booked for five days). Among foreign destinations the most noticeable increase in interest was recorded for Japan, where they are going mainly for 12 days, Turkey, where they plan to vacation for eight days, as well as Kazakhstan, where they go for seven days.
How much tickets cost
Traveling on May holidays should be planned in advance, it gives the opportunity to choose the most favorable options for accommodation and have time to buy tickets at a more affordable price, paid attention to the services.
Thus, popular rail routes Moscow - St. Petersburg and Moscow - Kazan for May holidays have already risen in price by an average of a quarter, reported in the service "Tutu". The direction Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod also turned out to be in demand, so the prices for it have increased.
- At the same time there are more stable routes: tickets for trains from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don became cheaper by 10%, and travel on May holidays from St. Petersburg to Rostov-on-Don will cost 18% cheaper than a year ago, - added there.
Among international railway destinations continue to be in demand for trips to Abkhazia and Belarus. For the routes to Gagra and Sukhum there is an increase in prices, but it remains within market fluctuations.
Air tickets to popular resort destinations, such as Sochi and Mineralnye Vody, rose in price by 20-25%.
- At the same time, there are destinations where prices have become even more affordable. For example, tickets Moscow - Tbilisi have become 7% cheaper, and the flight Sochi - Istanbul now costs 44% less than last year, - added in the service.
Experts explained the rise in ticket prices for popular destinations by seasonal dynamics and active demand. Themarket remains unpredictable, explained the product director of "Kupibilet" Andrey Maslak.
- Price fluctuations on both international and domestic routes emphasize the importance of careful monitoring of prices and flexibility in planning a trip. Do not rely on stability - early booking remains the main opportunity to save money," he shared.
How accommodation prices have changed
The demand for accommodation facilities during the May holidays has also increased. In Russian destinations from May 1 to 11, this year it was higher by 62%, and for foreign destinations - by 65%, calculated in the service of online booking hotels and apartments "Ostrovok". According to the service, the average cost of a booked night during the May holidays in Russian accommodation facilities is 6.1 thousand rubles, which is 20% higher than last year. For foreign destinations, the average cost of a night is 10.1 thousand rubles, an increase of 12% year-on-year.
The top ten domestic destinations by number of bookings are St. Petersburg, Kazan, Moscow, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Kislovodsk, Sochi, Zelenogradsk, Yaroslavl. The most popular foreign destinations were Belarus, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Thailand, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Japan and France.
The lowest average cost per night in popular destinations - in Moscow, where accommodation will cost 6.7 thousand rubles, reported in the hotel search and booking service from 2GIS "Othello. The most expensive night of stay will cost in Krasnodar region, where the price is Br8.3 thousand on average. The average duration of the vacation is three days, but in St. Petersburg more often book accommodation for four days.
Russians most often book country houses for vacation on May holidays in the Leningrad region and Karelia, as well as in the Moscow region, as follows from the data of the service "Avito Travel".
The list of popular destinations for the first long weekend, from May 1 to 4, also includes the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions. The second part of the holidays, from May 8 to 11, most tourists plan to spend in country houses in the Altai Republic and the Kaliningrad region. The most budget-friendly country house rentals are in Stavropol Krai and Altai. A day on holidays there will cost Br8.4 thousand and Br9.5 thousand. But in Moscow region for such accommodation will cost Br17 thousand per day, while in Kaliningrad region - Br12.6 thousand.
Why the May weekend was extended
The growth of interest in traveling on May holidays this year is explained by a particularly long weekend, experts interviewed by "Izvestia" believe. That is why it is worth booking tickets and accommodation in advance, said Alexan Mkrtchyan, vice-president of the Alliance of Travel Agencies Association.
- May holidays should be booked now, because this year we will have four days off at once on the first May Day and the second May Day, so from April 29 the whole country goes on vacation," he said.
In 2025, the official days off for the May holidays fall on May 1-4 and on May 8-11. The Russian government has the right to transfer weekends to other days during the year in order to rationalize the use of weekends and non-working holidays by employees, recalled the head of legal practice at SuperJob, Alexander Yuzhalin. This year, the weekend has been moved from Sunday, February 23, to Thursday, May 8, and from Saturday, March 8, to Friday, June 13, he recalled. Thus, there will be no extra days off in February and March, but they will be in May and June.
Reservations for May holidays started back in December, Alexan Mkrtchyan added.
- It is clear that tickets and hotels will only become more expensive. We are already booking in full swing. For example, tickets to Sochi for May holidays have already doubled in price as compared to December. By April, the price of tickets will probably increase 5-6 times. Hotel prices will also increase from today's level by about 40%, - the expert emphasized.
According to him, the situation will be similar in June, when Russians will have four more weekends.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
