Outbound tourism: where Russians travel and how many trips per year
· Tourism
In 2025, Russians made 29.75 million outbound tourist trips. This is a third less than in 2019 (45.33 million), and 2.4 times more than in the disastrous 2020. The most popular destination is Turkey: 6.36 million trips. Following that is Abkhazia with 5.61 million. The UAE grew threefold in six years and reached fourth place, while Germany, Spain, and Italy have completely disappeared from the statistics: there are zeros there. Rosstat data.
Below is a series by year, a full list of destinations with figures, an analysis of who replaced whom, and interactive charts.
Outbound tourism by year
Thousands of trips per year.
| Year | Trips |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 42,921 |
| 2015 | 34,390 |
| 2016 | 31,659 |
| 2017 | 39,629 |
| 2018 | 41,964 |
| 2019 | 45,330 |
| 2020 | 12,361 |
| 2021 | 19,199 |
| 2022 | 22,487 |
| 2023 | 25,335 |
| 2024 | 27,355 |
| 2025 | 29,755 |
The recovery after 2020 is steady, at 2–3 million trips annually, without acceleration and without stops. At this pace, the 2019 level will be reached approximately by 2031. A full series with monthly breakdowns is available in the dataset on outbound trips.
Note the years 2015–2016: there was a collapse then as well, after the ruble fell twice. Outbound tourism is sensitive to the exchange rate more than almost any other consumer indicator.
Where they travel: the first eight of 2025
Thousands of trips in 2025:
- Turkey: 6,361;
- Abkhazia: 5,606;
- Kazakhstan: 2,769;
- UAE: 2,282;
- China: 2,137;
- Egypt: 1,948;
- Georgia: 1,457;
- Thailand: 1,375.
The first two countries account for 40 percent of all trips. Abkhazia is a special case: trips there are mostly by car and are day trips, yet they are included in the statistics on par with flying to Thailand.
Turkey has already surpassed its pre-COVID level: 6,361 thousand trips compared to 6,756 in 2019, meaning it lags by only 6 percent, whereas the total outbound flow lags by a third.
Who replaced whom
Europe has literally left the statistics: in the rows for Germany, Spain, and Italy for 2023–2025, there are zeros or hundredths of a thousand trips. In 2019, these three countries together accounted for more than 3.6 million trips.
The freed-up demand was taken by three destinations:
- UAE: 968 thousand trips in 2019, 2,282 in 2025, a 2.4-fold increase;
- China: 2,334 in 2019, 17 thousand in 2022 (closed borders), 2,137 in 2025;
- Georgia: 1,170 in 2019, 1,457 in 2025.
Egypt is a separate story. In 2016–2018, direct air service was closed, and there are gaps in the statistics, and in 2019 there were only 26 thousand trips. By 2025, the destination has returned to 1.95 million and continues to grow faster than all major ones: plus 37 percent in a year.
Vietnam provided 48 thousand trips in 2024, and in 2025 already 402 thousand, an eightfold increase after the resumption of direct flights. This is the best dynamic indicator in the entire set.
Questions and answers
How many trips abroad do Russians make per year?
29.75 million for 2025. It counts trips, not people: one person who traveled three times counts as three trips.
Where do Russians travel most often?
To Turkey (6.36 million trips) and Abkhazia (5.61 million). Then Kazakhstan, UAE, China, and Egypt.
Has outbound tourism recovered after 2020?
Partially. 29.75 million trips is 66 percent of the 2019 level. The recovery is steady, at approximately 2.4 million trips per year.
Why are there zeros for European countries in the statistics?
Rosstat publishes trips for tourism purposes based on border service data. In the absence of direct flights and with mass visa denials, the flow formally drops to zero: remaining trips are for a different purpose or go through third countries and are recorded to the country of first entry.
What is the difference between outbound and inbound tourism?
Outbound is trips by Russian citizens abroad; inbound is the arrival of foreigners to Russia. Series for both are available on the website: outbound tourism by year and inbound tourism by year.
In short
- 29.75 million outbound tourist trips for 2025, 66 percent of the 2019 level.
- Turkey (6.36 million) and Abkhazia (5.61 million) account for 40 percent of the total flow.
- The UAE grew 2.4 times in six years and became the fourth destination.
- Germany, Spain, and Italy dropped to zero in the statistics.
- Vietnam (eight times in a year) and Egypt (plus 37 percent) are growing the fastest.
Data source: Rosstat, "Tourism" section, number of outbound tourist trips by Russian citizens.