MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Around 3.5 mln Russians travelled abroad in the summer of 2022 for tourism and recreation, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

"According to preliminary estimates, about 3.5 mln Russians travelled abroad for the purpose of tourism and recreation in the three months of summer," the report said.

The volume of Russian tourists travelling abroad in the summer of 2022, according to preliminary ATOR data, is lower than in 2021, with some companies reporting a decrease of 20% or more. Compared to the summer of 2019, the market for organized outbound tourism in the summer of 2022 fell by at least 50% due to a general shortage of transportation, the closure of Cyprus and Greece, the lack of Caribbean destinations, the lack of flights to Turkey in June and July, and to Egypt in August. At the same time, several tour operators reported an increase in demand for summer trips abroad from 17% to 40%, in some cases the demand was even higher.

Turkey (60% of total bookings), Abkhazia (23%), UAE (5%), Egypt (3%), and the Maldives (2%) were the most popular foreign vacation destinations in the summer of 2022. According to preliminary estimates, over 2.1 mln tourists from Russia visited Turkey in June-August (1.9 mln in the summer of 2021). The average cost of a summer tour to Turkey from large tour operators almost doubled this summer compared to the summer of 2021 due to rising airfare prices, ranging from 175,000 rubles ($2,897) to 235,000 rubles ($3,891) for two, ATOR said.

In addition, around 800,000 Russian tourists visited Abkhazia in the summer, about 180,000 toured the United Arab Emirates, around 100,000 went to Egypt, and around 55,000 travelled to the Maldives. Vacation tours to Thailand, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka and to Qatar were also in demand among Russians tourists.