MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Turkey, Thailand, the UAE and Egypt accounted for 90% of all winter trips abroad by Russian tourists, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reports.

"Four countries stood out in terms of popularity among Russians over the last three months of winter, which, in total, accounted for 90% out of 2,425 mln trips made to the top ten most popular tourist destinations. These are Turkey (slightly less than a third of all trips), Thailand (almost a quarter), the UAE and Egypt," the Association said.

The demand for winter tours surged twofold for Turkey, by 88% for Sri Lanka, and by 75% for the UAE over the year. Russian tourist traffic to Cuba, the Seychelles and Egypt declined because of insufficient air service.

This season is notable in that demand did not plunge after the New Year holidays this year, Executive Director of ATOR Maya Lomidze said at the MITT-2023 Exhibition. The volume of sales decreased in the low and medium price segments and grew in the premium one, Lomidze said, referring to 2022 trends. Travel expenses increased up to 30% for tourists. The share of trips made by families with children increased and the importance of the transport component increased, she added.