Sleigh rides in spring: Russians will travel to Turkey and China in the off-season
This year, Russians have become more active in booking tours for the spring — already in January, the number of bookings was almost 20% more than in the same period last year. The most active growth in bookings is demonstrated by foreign destinations due to the easing of the visa regime and the strengthening of the ruble. Istanbul has become the most popular among them, and interest in Baku, Antalya and Beijing is also high. In Russia, the Kaliningrad Region, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar Krai are in the highest demand this spring, and interest in cities with rich historical and cultural heritage is growing rapidly, especially Tula and Smolensk. About where Russians will go in the spring, and where they want to spend the March holidays, is in the Izvestia article.
Foreign trips
For the spring of 2026, Russians have planned 18% more trips compared to the same period last year, the Ostrovok service told Izvestia. Istanbul (Turkey) is still leading the ranking of the most popular travel destinations in the spring of 2026, accounting for more than a third of tickets purchased abroad, Kupibilet said. Baku (Azerbaijan) took the second place, Antalya (Turkey) took the third place.
In general, demand for foreign destinations increased by 63% compared to last spring, Ostrovka added. China showed the most dynamic pace in booking accommodation — more than three times, and tours to Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam began to be bought twice as often. Interest in trips to Turkey and Georgia increased by 77%, while interest in Thailand increased by 71%. In addition to Turkey, Thailand, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Italy, Japan, China, France and Vietnam are among the top countries where the most vacation packages have been purchased.
They noted that for foreign destinations, the average cost of a booked night in the spring of 2026 is 9,150 rubles, 9% less than in 2025. The decrease in prices in the service was associated with the strengthening of the ruble.
According to "Fly.<url>", the level of demand for tours with arrivals from March 1 to May 31, 2026 is 51% higher than in the previous year. Egypt, Maldives, Cuba and Sri Lanka were also named among the leaders in the service. Bookings to Spain, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia and Serbia have been added.
The growth of interest in China in this company was estimated at 2.2 times, in India — 2.8 times, in the Maldives - 3 times, in Vietnam — 7.8. The volume of applications for travel to Cuba increased by 92.7%, to Egypt — by 84%, to the UAE — by almost 80%.
The spring season of 2026 has clearly outlined new vectors for the development of the tourism market, where the main engine is the foreign direction, said the commercial director of the author's tours marketplace. YouTravel.me Valery Britaus. According to this company, sales of spring tours abroad showed an increase of 100%.
— Traditional leaders such as Turkey, Egypt and the UAE are now sharing the attention of travelers with new, dynamically developing destinations. The explosive interest in Asian countries caused by the simplification of logistics and visa regime is particularly indicative," he said. — After the introduction of the visa-free regime, the demand for trips to China has tripled, turning it from an exotic destination into one of the leaders of the season.
According to him, a similar trend is observed in relation to Southeast Asia: Vietnam is showing an increase of 65%, and Indonesia — by 32.5%. According to the expert, such dynamics reflect the sensitivity of the market to the accessibility factor.
Where to go in Russia
Against the background of the active development of outbound tourism, the domestic travel market is showing stabilization, believes Valery Britaus. An analysis of bookings for spring shows that tourists do not choose between Russia and abroad, but between different types of value.
"Accessibility and novelty have become key drivers abroad, while domestic demand is provided by destinations with a strong, timeless identity. In both cases, it's not a massive package that wins, but a meaningful offer, whether it's a tour to a new exotic country or immersion in a familiar, but each time unique Russian context," he said.
In Russia as a whole, he said, interest in spring travel focuses on proven locations offering seasonal experiences. In February and March, there is traditionally sustained attention to winter programs on the Kola Peninsula, trips to the ice of Lake Baikal, as well as to ski and cultural destinations in the Caucasus.
In Kupibilet, Kaliningrad was named the leader of the spring among domestic destinations: 24% of travelers bought tickets there for their spring holidays. Mineralnye Vody is in second place, followed by Sochi and Makhachkala. Murmansk, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Samara also entered the top.
The level of demand for tours within the framework of domestic tourism is at the same level as a year earlier, according to "Fly.ru". At the same time, Krasnodar showed the largest increase in demand among Russian destinations — the number of bookings in hotels and apartments in the city increased by 79%.
"The opening of the airport in September 2025 played a significant role, which significantly improved the transport accessibility of the city for tourists from Moscow and other regions," the company noted.
There is a noticeable increase in interest in cities with rich historical and cultural heritage, suitable for sightseeing holidays. Thus, the number of bookings in Tula for the spring increased by 58%, in Smolensk — by 46%, in Nizhny Novgorod — by 21%, in Volgograd — by 16%, in Svetlogorsk – by 15%, in Kaliningrad and Moscow — by 5%.
In addition, the demand for outdoor and ski destinations has increased. In Murmansk, the number of bookings increased by 39%, in Kirovsk (Murmansk region) — by 27%, in Esto-Sadka — by 14%, in Arkhyz — by 8%. In general, the top 10 Russian destinations for March-April include St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sochi, Kaliningrad, Esto-Sadok, Kazan, Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Kislovodsk and Kirovsk (Murmansk Region). When traveling around the country in the spring, Russians still most often choose apartments and hotels without stars - they account for almost half of all bookings.
The press service of the Avito Travel technology platform named the Leningrad Region, Murmansk Region, Krasnodar Territory, Tatarstan and Stavropol Territory as the most popular destinations for the spring of 2026 in terms of the number of apartment bookings. Russians are actively booking suburban housing in the Kemerovo Region, Karelia, Krasnodar Territory, Karachay-Cherkessia and the Altai Republic.
"Russians are already actively planning trips for March 8th. Thus, the demand for daily apartment rentals in the country increased by 30% on average compared to last year, and for country houses — by 41%, Avito Travel said. — The most popular holiday destinations are St. Petersburg, Kirovsk, Moscow, Sochi and Kazan. Users are more likely to book suburban housing in Sheregesh, Gorno-Altaysk, Arkhyz, Sochi and Sortavala."
They also noted that St. Petersburg, Moscow and Kazan are attracted by cultural events and festive programs. Sochi, in addition to the warm weather, also offers ski holidays in Krasnaya Polyana and Rosa Khutor. Russians are more likely to choose country houses for recreation at ski resorts even in early March, which explains the demand for Kirovsk, Sheregesh, Arkhyz and Gorno-Altaysk, where there is still good snow cover and the weather is suitable for skiing. The popularity of suburban housing in Sortavala and Gorno-Altaysk is associated with the desire to spend a secluded vacation in nature.
And the Yandex Travel press service stated that the number of hotel and apartment bookings for the spring period (March-May) increased by 5% compared to last year. The fastest growing regions in terms of bookings were the Sverdlovsk Region (+34%), the Ryazan Region (+33%), the Irkutsk Region (+32%), the Voronezh Region (+30%) and the Tver Region (+23%).
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