TASS reports: The number of tourist trips by Russians abroad in the Q1 of 2026 increased by 15.4% compared with the same period last year, with Thailand, China, and Turkey becoming the most popular destinations, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia reported, citing its own analytics, data from the Russian Federal Security Service’s border service and national statistics from foreign countries. "According to ATOR analysts, the increase in the number of trips by Russians to the top 25 tourist destinations in the first quarter of 2026 amounted to +15.4% year-on-year (compared with +12.4% in the same months last year).
The top 10 most popular countries among Russians in terms of tourist trip volumes in the first quarter of 2026 were Thailand, China, Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Vietnam, the Maldives, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia," the statement said. As ATOR noted, tourist traffic to Thailand declined by 3.5% compared with the first quarter of last year, to 726,000 visits. This was influenced both by competition from Vietnam and by the Middle East crisis -- in March, popular connecting flights to Phuket via Qatar and the UAE became unavailable.
Background
The number of trips to China, on the contrary, is growing at a "rapid pace" -- up 53.7% year-on-year to 690,000 visits. "But it should be understood that these are not only trips to China itself, but also a very large number of trips with connections through Chinese cities. In March, many connecting routes to Southeast Asian countries were redirected through China," the experts explained.
Key facts
- As ATOR noted, tourist traffic to Thailand declined by 3.5% compared with the first quarter of last year, to 726,000 visits.
- This was influenced both by competition from Vietnam and by the Middle East crisis -- in March, popular connecting flights to Phuket via Qatar and the UAE became unavailable.
- The number of trips to China, on the contrary, is growing at a "rapid pace" -- up 53.7% year-on-year to 690,000 visits.
What this means
The Middle East crisis had a similar impact on Turkey’s dynamics (+8.2%). However, in the Q1 this was not about vacations, especially beach tourism, in the country: the sea is cold, tourist traffic to Antalya is rather stagnant and even declined in March, while the number of trips to Istanbul increased, including for transit purposes. Istanbul’s popularity as a connecting hub increased amid the Persian Gulf crisis.
Egypt continued to grow, posting a 29.9% increase in the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. "Egypt turned out to be a beneficiary of the crisis: an extensive flight program, comfortable prices in January and February, and very generous tour operator promotions stimulated growth for the destination," the association emphasized. Tourist traffic to the UAE fell by 20.8% year-on-year.
Originally reported by TASS. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
