Resort meter: demand for housing in the south of Russia has increased after the opening of airports

After the opening of Gelendzhik Airport in July 2025 and Krasnodar Airport in September, demand for housing in the south of the country increased by 16-25%, market participants told Izvestia. Against this background, there is a risk of a 10-15% price spike, experts say. In addition, in the coming year, the real estate market in Krasnodar Krai and Crimea will grow faster than other regions of the country. About how air traffic will affect resort real estate — in the material of Izvestia.

How has the demand for resort properties increased

The opening of airports in Krasnodar and Gelendzhik caused a surge in demand for the purchase of resort real estate in southern Russia, market participants told Izvestia. Interest in buying a home increased by 15-16%.

"Pent—up demand has also intensified, which has been accumulating all this time," said Alexander Ivanov, a leading analyst at the federal company Floors. — For some nonresident buyers, the decrease in transport accessibility has become a reason to postpone the purchase of real estate. But the opening of airports was not the only factor in the growth in demand.

Gelendzhik received its first flight from Moscow on July 18, operated by Aeroflot. The opening of this air hub caused a stir among tourists: tickets for the first and next flights were sold out after the start of sales. After the airport reopened in Krasnodar, interest in booking hotels and apartments in the city has tripled, the online booking service Ostrovok told Izvestia.

The resumption of air transportation from Gelendzhik and Krasnodar has doubled the interest of Russians in the southern resorts, Olga Nart, Deputy General Director of the Luchi resort, confirmed. The very fact of the opening of air harbors became a driver of demand — the number of search queries, even against the background of announcements about the opening of the first airport, immediately almost doubled, and bookings in Gelendzhik and nearby cities of Novorossiysk and Anapa increased by 30-50%.

"This has also affected prices: rent of apartments and hotel rooms in the region has risen in price by 10%," she said. — It is expected that the additional influx of tourists may increase to 200,000 people by the end of the year, which is about half a billion rubles of additional income for the local economy.

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According to her, the main problem for the south of Russia has long been difficult logistics. The journey to the resorts of the Black Sea coast through Sochi airport could take up to five hours. But with the opening of the airport in Krasnodar, the situation has changed dramatically: Anapa can now be considered an even more attractive location — a new road from there allows you to get to recreation areas in just one and a half to two hours.

In Gelendzhik and Krasnodar, demand increased by 20-25% compared to the usual figures, Tatyana Burlakovskaya, founder of the Golden Brown resort real estate agency, confirmed. In the near future, demand growth will continue, and in October−December it will rise by another 10-15%.

— The cost of housing will increase, but the growth is unlikely to be high, since prices in many cities of the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Crimea are already at a very high level, — the expert explained.

Today, Sochi, Gelendzhik, Anapa and Yalta are the strongest points of attraction, said Natalia Kruglova, Managing partner of Trophy Assets, an independent expert. In Sochi, the demand for housing increased by 22%, in Yalta — by 65%, which was supported by a 47% increase in prices.

— In Gelendzhik, new buildings are already being sold at 298 thousand per square meter, and this is not the limit, — she said. — Previously, the lack of flights made the resort isolated, but now buyers are willing to pay for the convenience of a flight — just two hours to Moscow. This premium added 15-20% to the price of the property and offset the subdued price increases in previous years.

What are the prices for apartments in the south of Russia?

Buying property in the south is quite popular among Russians, especially for residents of large metropolitan areas and more northern regions, said Evgeny Shavnev, CEO of Flip LLC, an investment company in the real estate market.

"According to polls, about 41% of Russians would like to own real estate on the coast, but every second person was previously stopped by transport accessibility, including those related to the closure of airspace," he noted. — Thus, the opening of two airports has made it possible to revitalize the market in Anapa, Novorossiysk, Gelendzhik and other cities that are in the vicinity.

But the opening of airports was not the only factor in the growth in demand. As Alexander Ivanov noted, Tuapse and Gelendzhik were subject to family mortgages in the secondary market, which also provokes an increase in interest in these cities in facilities that meet the conditions of the program.

"Plus, after the July meeting of the Central Bank and the decision to lower the rate, demand in the secondary market revived throughout Russia, and the Krasnodar Territory was no exception," the expert added.

Demand has also affected prices. According to the expert, they began to grow even at the stage of "rumors" that an air harbor would be opened. For example, in Gelendzhik, prices increased by more than 5% over the year, and the main peak occurred just in the summer and September, in Novorossiysk — +10%.

— Gelendzhik, Anapa, and Tuapse are now among the popular and "not beaten" southern destinations, — said Evgeny Shavnev. — The cost per square meter in Gelendzhik is currently at about 180 thousand rubles, in Anapa — 200 thousand rubles. Sochi traditionally has the highest price tag — over 360 thousand rubles. The most budget—friendly options can be found in Tuapse - about 150 thousand rubles.

At the same time, the rise in real estate prices in Crimea continued even after the closure of flights, said Yuri Tsuker, head of development projects at Kvartal Group.

— After the opening of airports in Simferopol, a sharp surge in real estate prices is expected: we expect an increase of at least 20% for land plots, from 20 to 30% for business class housing under construction and lots in apartment hotels with the declared star rating of 4 and 5, — he said. — There will be more new jobs on the territory, resort locations will start operating without a seasonal break, the tourist flow and business activity will increase by 50%, — says Yuri Tsuker.

Even with Simferopol Airport closed, investors continue to actively acquire business and premium class projects, added Victoria Anokhina, Commercial Director of Razvitie Group.

— The opening of the airport will bring back convenient logistics and boost pent-up demand, which will lead to an increase in the number of transactions and further price increases. According to our analysts, in some locations and housing segments, the cost may almost double," she explained.

What awaits the real estate market in the southern resorts

Real estate prices in Anapa and Novorossiysk are expected to rise by 10-15% over the next year, depending on the class and location of the property, Olga Nart added.

"At the same time, the most noticeable dynamics are possible in the comfort and business class segment, as well as in resort projects that directly benefit from improved transport accessibility," she added.

In her opinion, the opening of the airport will revitalize the market of MICE projects, that is, conferences, exhibitions, business events, as well as create new growth points in the segment of services and commerce.

When the flight service is fully operational, it can stimulate the growth of demand for real estate, says Mikhail Fedorov, Commercial Director of GC Exactly.

"But it is unlikely that this will radically change the situation with the current implementation of projects, which largely depends on purchasing power," he believes.

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While maintaining the policy of easing the Central Bank's monetary policy, demand in the secondary housing market in the Krasnodar Territory will continue to grow and may increase by another 10-12% by the end of the year, Alexander Ivanov believes. This can also provoke an increase in prices, including by changing the supply structure in the market, where the most discounted properties are currently being bought out and reducing the discount.

According to Natalia Kruglova, in the coming year, the real estate market in southern Russia will grow faster than other regions of the country: even without additional government support measures aimed at infrastructure development, prices will increase by 7-15% on average and up to 30% in the premium segment.

Restraining conditions for price growth will nevertheless be: high key interest rates and low housing affordability in general, oversupply in certain locations, legal and infrastructural risks, and limited resort capacity.