Top for your money: China, Turkey and Belarus topped the ranking of trips to the May holidays

When planning a vacation in May, Russians from foreign destinations most often choose Turkey, China and Belarus, and they are actively interested in Uzbekistan and Georgia, travel agencies told Izvestia. For the summer, Italy, France and Vietnam appear in the top destinations, which is starting to overtake Thailand in terms of bookings. At the same time, prices for foreign tours increased by 10-15% after the outbreak of the war in the Middle East. Those who prefer to stay in Russia book accommodation in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Kaliningrad region and the southern resorts. Demand for Anapa and Krasnodar has increased especially this year. Where else will Russians go and where they can relax not only from work, but also from other tourists — in the Izvestia article.

Where will Russians go on vacation?

Russians are most active in booking hotels in Turkey, Japan, China and Belarus for the May holidays, Elena Shelekhova, head of the OneTwoTrip travel planning service, told Izvestia.

— For summer trips, people choose Italy: this country accounts for 15.3% of hotel bookings, Turkey — 15.2%, France — 9.5%, China — 7.2%, Spain — 6.3%, — she said.

At the same time, the minimum prices for foreign tours increased by 10-15% after the escalation of the Middle East conflict, the booking service reported. Level.Travel .

Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev

According to the Tutu travel service, Minsk, Tashkent, Samarkand and Istanbul are popular among foreign destinations for the May holidays. There is a growing interest in Georgia and Azerbaijan. But in the summer, "demand is shifting towards more southern countries," although bookings to Minsk for the summer doubled, the company's press service reported.

As for Russian destinations, Russians are actively booking tickets for planes, trains and buses to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Sochi for the May holidays, Tutu added. For the summer period, in addition to the two capitals and Sochi, Anapa, Adler and Novorossiysk appear in the top.

— Anapa stands out in particular, interest in which has doubled compared to the same period last year, and Krasnodar (an increase of 20%), — added Tutu.

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On the Avito Travel platform, Kazan, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod became the most popular destinations in terms of the number of apartment bookings for May. Users are more likely to rent suburban housing in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, Krasnodar Territory, Karelia and Tatarstan.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

On average in Russia, the cost of renting an apartment for the May holidays increased by 8% and amounts to 5.4 thousand rubles per day. Renting a country house will cost an average of 13.2 thousand rubles per day, and this is 9% higher than a year earlier.

The demand for daily rental apartments for the summer period increased by 10% compared to 2025, and interest in country houses increased significantly more — by 34%.

The top 5 cities in terms of the number of apartment bookings for June-August included Sochi, St. Petersburg, Gelendzhik, Yalta and Zelenogradsk. The Krasnodar Territory, Crimea, Karelia, Moscow and Leningrad regions are the leaders in the suburban housing segment. The average cost of renting an apartment in the country for the summer of 2026 is 5.4 thousand rubles per day, a country house — 9.4 thousand rubles (+5%).

Trends of the tour season-2026

In 2026, several key trends remain in the daily rental market, Avito Travel added. During the May holidays, Russians are more likely to choose large cities for sightseeing trips, while residents of the two capitals are more active in booking suburban housing. High demand for houses is also recorded in the Krasnodar Territory due to the warm weather and proximity to the sea, in Karelia — because of nature and privacy, and Tatarstan is chosen for interesting routes and a variety of recreation formats.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Igor Podgorny

"In summer, demand traditionally shifts towards the cities of the Black Sea coast, St. Petersburg during the white nights and Zelenogradsk as destinations on the Baltic Sea,— Avito Travel said. "The Krasnodar Territory and Crimea are the leaders in the suburban housing segment due to the climate and long season, Karelia is for outdoor recreation, and the Moscow and Leningrad regions are due to their proximity to major cities and the convenience of short trips."

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The main trend this summer is the redistribution of demand towards predictable directions, said Ahmed Yusupov, an economist and partner at the Goldman Energy communications agency.

"Vietnam is overtaking Thailand in terms of booking dynamics for the first time: visa—free travel, direct charters from the regions, and affordable prices outside hotels make Nha Trang and Cam Ranh an attractive alternative," the expert said. — Those who are used to focusing on the Middle East corridor are now switching to Southeast Asia or choosing Russian destinations with growing infrastructure. Buying too late means paying too much: Kaliningrad and Kavminvody have already shown how quickly the price tag changes with increasing requests.

Elena Borovaya, General Director of Corporate Travel, said that for small trips it is worth choosing domestic destinations, and if the vacation is planned for 10-14 days, then it is better to consider the countries of Southeast Asia.

Photo: Global Look Press/Elena Mayorova

But it is worth avoiding too popular destinations such as Sochi, Kaliningrad, Baikal or Altai, as high demand for these places often leads to higher prices. Instead, the expert recommends choosing less obvious destinations such as Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Tyumen and Tobolsk, where you can spend time quietly and at a more affordable price.

— Moscow and St. Petersburg should be mentioned separately. Many people do not take into account that on May holidays, metropolitan hotels often offer more favorable rates due to a decrease in business activity," the expert noted.

In addition, more and more tourists are choosing independent travel. However, recent events in the Middle East have shown that such travelers can be vulnerable in the event of force majeure, flight cancellations or the closure of destinations. Elena Borovaya stressed that independent trips require more responsibility, as in such situations travelers are forced to solve problems on their own.