Svyaznoy Travel analyzed the preferences of its Russian users and identified the most popular travel destinations during the New Year holidays from December 30 to January 8.
As the company's press service told the TRN portal, According to the analysis, 561,333 flights were domestic. The most popular Russian cities are Sochi (the average roundtrip ticket from Moscow is 19,979 rubles), Simferopol (23,619 rubles), Mineralnye Vody (25,582 rubles), and St. Petersburg (7,125 rubles). The average ticket for flights within the country was 21,759 rubles.
The Christmas and New Year holidays in Europe remain the second most popular among Russians, accounting for 171,000 rubles of all ticket purchases. Russian tourists are attracted by Christmas markets, magical city illuminations, shopping, and the cultural heritage of these countries. Furthermore, popular cities offer quick access to ski resorts in the Alps. On average, Russians spend 40,385 rubles on a round-trip flight to Europe. The most popular cities are Munich (28,089 rubles), Milan (29,314 rubles), Barcelona (55,067 rubles), and Prague (50,427 rubles).
Flights to warmer Asian and Middle Eastern destinations accounted for 101,030,000 of all booked tickets, with an average ticket price of 53,387 rubles. Russians headed to Bangkok (89,177 rubles), Dubai (42,488 rubles), Tel Aviv (25,510 rubles), and Istanbul (30,075 rubles) to spend the New Year in the sun.
Popular tourist destinations in neighboring countries, renowned for their affordable prices and culinary tours, also made the rounds. 6% Russian Svyaznoy Travel users chose to vacation at the ski resorts of Yerevan (23,085 rubles) and Tbilisi (41,181 rubles).
Another 11% of all ticket bookings went to the United States, African countries, Australia and New Zealand.
"Due to the rise in the foreign exchange rate this year, Russians began actively booking flights to international destinations as early as September. The peak period for domestic flight bookings was November, but we're still waiting for further price adjustments. Expecting discounts and cheap tickets is not worth it now, as prices rise rapidly as the holidays approach. In the last two weeks of November alone, the average cost of domestic flights within Russia increased by more than 601₽, to Europe by 311₽, and to Asia and the Middle East by 281₽," emphasized Andrey Osintsev, Director of Svyaznoy Travel.
Source: trn-news.ru