Russians' demand for New Year's holidays in Europe increased by 41%

The demand of Russians for the upcoming New Year's holidays in Europe increased by 41%, and the number of hotel and apartment bookings in European countries increased by this value. This was reported on October 17 by the newspaper Kommersant with reference to the Ostrovok service.

"The emergence of additional flight options from post-Soviet countries and lower travel budgets due to the strengthening of the ruble have led to the realization of pent-up demand. Difficulties with visa processing remain a limiting factor for growth," the publication says.

It is noted that the growth of such interest is 1.5–2 times faster than the overall increase in demand for international destinations. The share of Europe in the total structure of tourist bookings increased from 8% to 9%.

According to Nikifor Gaiduchenko, CEO of the <url> service, the share of Italy and Spain in the total sales structure increased by 1% for each route — from 3% to 4% and from 2% to 3%, respectively. At the same time, Turkey has ceased to be one of the most sought-after destinations among Russians.

Such trips have become more affordable due to the increase in the number of air routes from post-Soviet countries to some European cities. Previously, the average check for a flight was 90-150 thousand rubles, but now you can find tickets starting from 40 thousand rubles. However, prices increase during the New Year holidays.

"The average cost of a flight from Russia to France and back, according to OneTwoTrip, for the holidays reaches 83 thousand rubles, to Spain — 86.3 thousand rubles," the publication informs.

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On September 25, it was reported that the European Union (EU) has no plans to impose new restrictions on Russian tourists, despite the imposition of sanctions affecting this sector. In 2023, 541 thousand Russians visited Europe, which is slightly more than in the previous year.

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