Russia has entered the top 3 tourist destinations for the first time in two years

According to the results of the first half of 2026, Russia took the third place among the most popular destinations for package tours, and also outstripped the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in terms of the number of bookings. This was confirmed on August 11 by data from the Onlinetours service.

According to the materials reviewed by RBC, the number of trips within Russia in the first six months of the year increased by 56% compared to the same period in 2025. The share of domestic destinations in the total volume of bookings increased from 9% to 10%. At the same time, interest in the UAE has almost halved: the country's figure has decreased from 11% to 4%.

The average cost of a tour in Russia decreased slightly — from 60.8 thousand to 59.6 thousand rubles. In the UAE, the average check decreased by 8%, amounting to 174 thousand rubles against 188.5 thousand a year earlier.

Turkey remains the leader among foreign destinations, but its share has decreased from 35% to 31%. Egypt took the second position, increasing the indicator from 24% to 29%. After Russia, Thailand is ranked with a share of 9% and Vietnam with 7%.

The UAE took the sixth place in the list of the most popular destinations. This is followed by China, where the share of bookings decreased from 18% to 3%, Abkhazia — 2%, Maldives — 1.5% and Sri Lanka — about 0.6%.

Among the Russian destinations, the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory were the most popular. The leaders included Khosta with 17.4% of all domestic bookings, Sochi with 15.7%, Adler with 11.4% and Sirius with 11.3%.

The districts of St. Petersburg, Loo, Yessentuki, Esto-Sadok and Kaliningrad are also among the top ten popular destinations in Russia.

Visiting the Veps: how to find the lost world in the Leningrad region

Ancient huts, lingering mists, scary fairy tales and bright people are waiting for tourists.

On August 4, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the creation of 12 new year-round resorts in the country. The openings will take place within the framework of the Five Seas and Lake Baikal project, which has received funding in the amount of 9 billion rubles. The sum is planned to be spent on the renovation of airports, attractions and the construction of 300 hotel complexes with a capacity of over 63 thousand rooms.