Wealthy Russians Are Traveling To Asia & The Middle East

ForwardKeys’ travel analyst released new information proving how Russian outbound tourism, which was already severely hampered by pandemic travel restrictions, has declined as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Outbound international aviation tickets from Russia were 42% higher in the week before the commencement of hostilities in February. The number of granted plane tickets plummeted to 19% in the week after the invasion (week beginning February 25). Flight reservations have fallen further since then, hovering around 15% of pre-pandemic levels.

Due to war-related civil aviation bans, Russians are unable to book flights to many of their favorite Western locations. According to ForwardKeys, the Russians who are still flying are largely wealthy tourists, since premium-cabin bookings to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have increased since 2019. As war-related worldwide sanctions restrict their access to Western locations, Russia’s elite is traveling to the Middle East and Asia.

ForwardKeys researched to determine the most popular destinations. According to a review of flight reservations from February 24 to April 27, summer bookings to Sri Lanka are presently 85% higher than pre-pandemic levels, with the Maldives 1% lower, Kyrgyzstan 11% lower, Turkey 36% lower, and the UAE 49% lower.