Turkey has become expensive for Russians, tourists change course: Interest in Greece and Bulgaria is rising
Russian tourists' interest in Europe is rising again: New routes and affordable prices have increased demand for destinations such as Hungary, Greece, and Italy by up to 70%.
12punto
Despite various difficulties, including visas, interest in European travel among Russian tourists has recently begun to rise again. According to a report by Kommersant, the proliferation of connecting flights via Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries and Georgia plays a significant role in this growing interest.
Demand for destinations such as Hungary, Montenegro, Greece, Bulgaria, Portugal, Germany, and Cyprus, in particular, has shown an increase of between 21% and 70% compared to last year.
In addition, an increase in travel duration is also being observed. According to the report, this situation is linked to the fact that vacation costs in Europe are now at a level comparable to those in Turkey.
RUSSIANS MOSTLY TRAVEL TO GREECE, SPAIN, AND BULGARIA
Tourism sector officials state that hotel reservations and flights to Europe experienced a significant increase in the second half of 2024. For example, according to OneTwoTrip data, the share of flight ticket reservations to European countries for the August-October 2024 period rose to 16% of total sales. Countries such as Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Italy are among the most preferred destinations for Russian tourists.
According to the report in Türkrus, the reasons for the increase include the addition of new routes for flights to Europe and the fact that travelers have become accustomed to the difficulties in the Schengen visa application process. New flight routes have diversified, particularly with connecting flights from CIS countries and Georgia. This has made travel to Europe more accessible while also expanding vacationers' travel plans. However, due to the lack of additional new flight routes in some countries like Spain, there has been a decline in demand for these destinations.
INTEREST IN ITALY AND GREECE IS INCREASING
Tour operators report that demand for destinations such as Cyprus, Italy, and Greece has also increased significantly. For instance, while interest in Cyprus has risen by 22.5%, this increase reached 63% for Italy. In Greece, this rate was recorded at 58%. Nevertheless, it is noted that demand for Europe has not fully returned to its former levels. Tourism experts are of the opinion that current restrictions and slowdowns in visa issuance processes prevent demand from reaching pre-crisis 2019 levels.