MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. In 2024, tourists most frequently booked hotels within Russia in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, and Adler, according to a study by the hotel booking service Otello from the geoservice 2GIS, obtained by TASS.
"The top two positions were occupied by the capitals — Moscow and St. Petersburg. Kazan and Vladivostok also made it into the top five, with Novosibirsk and Adler sharing the fifth spot," experts noted.
The popularity of cities fluctuated by season, with the exception of Moscow and St. Petersburg, which consistently maintained their top rankings. For example, in the spring of 2024, Vladivostok ranked third but was surpassed by Kazan, which remained in the top three for the rest of the year, the company reported.
The study also highlighted fluctuations in average hotel booking prices throughout the year. Prices peaked in the summer of 2024, rising by an average of 30% compared to spring. The sharpest increases were seen in Adler and Vladivostok, with nightly rates climbing by 57% and 52%, respectively. Novosibirsk and Moscow experienced the smallest price hikes. In the autumn, a noticeable price decline of 13% was observed. Negative trends were seen in all cities except Moscow, where the average cost per night increased by 5%, likely due to the start of the business season.
Moscow (19%), the Krasnodar Region (14%), and St. Petersburg (11%) were the most popular destinations among tourists in 2024. Moscow's popularity was attributed not only to its tourist appeal but also to its role as a frequent transit point. In the Krasnodar Region, tourists primarily visited Sochi, including Adler and Esto-Sadok, as well as Krasnodar. The top 10 also included the Moscow Region, Tatarstan, Primorsky Krai, and the Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Rostov, and Kaliningrad regions.
According to Otello, the longest booking in 2024 lasted 60 days at a hotel in Sochi, followed by a 50-day stay at a hostel in Moscow. For bookings in 2025, the Krasnodar Region is currently the most popular location (19%), followed by Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, and the Moscow Region.
Travel origins
The highest number of bookings in 2024 came from residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg. Among these five leading cities, Krasnodar residents were unique in their preference for traveling within their own region, frequently booking hotels in Krasnodar, Sochi, Adler, Esto-Sadok, and Anapa.
Residents of the other cities showed similar trends, often booking accommodations in their own city or in the capitals. For example, Muscovites frequently traveled to Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, and Sochi, while St. Petersburg residents often visited Kaliningrad, Kazan, and Pskov. Novosibirsk residents made many bookings in Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk, and Yekaterinburg residents frequently traveled to Tyumen and Chelyabinsk, the company said.