MOSCOW, June 21. /TASS/. The number of bookings on the websites of Russian online booking services from foreign tourists in 2024 may increase by 40% year-on-year, said Yulia Skoromolova, head of the Association of Travel Aggregators (ATAG).

"As for bookings directly, according to our forecast, by the end of 2024, the number of bookings by foreigners on the websites of Russian online booking services will increase by 40% - this includes accommodation and tickets," Skoromolova said during the BRICS Tourism Forum.

She added that, according to an analysis of data from the largest market players in Russia, total views of travel aggregator sites last year reached 1.2 billion. This year they could grow to 1.5 billion.

"This figure will continue to grow in the future, in particular thanks to foreign users," the head of the association noted.

According to ATAG, almost half of foreign tourists travel independently. As Skoromolova noted, to increase the inbound tourist flow to Russia, among other things, it is necessary to intensively promote Russian booking services abroad.

First of all, this concerns promising markets that will become drivers of growth in inbound tourism: the BRICS countries (Brazil, India, China, South Africa, the UAE, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia), as well as the countries of the Middle East (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey), South and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand), she said.

Managing director of the online booking service for hotels and apartments Ostrovok, Daria Kochetkova, told reporters that, according to the service, the demand for accommodation in Russian hotels and apartments from foreign tourists has grown by 58% in annual terms since the beginning of 2024. Mostly, bookings for accommodation in Russia are made by users from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, UAE, Thailand and India.