Foreign travel costs for Russian holidaymakers increased by 9.7 percent during the first nine months of 2026, according to a study by online travel service Onlinetours.
Data obtained by Russian news publication Lenta.ru showed that the average price for an overseas trip reached 205,000 rubles in 2026, up from 187,000 rubles recorded during the previous year.
Turkey maintained its position as the most sought-after international destination for Russian travellers, with holiday packages costing between 199,000 and 230,000 rubles. Egypt followed on the list at an average price of 199,000 rubles, while trips to Thailand ranged between 211,000 and 225,000 rubles.
Price drops recorded across exotic locations
Experts from Onlinetours noted that exotic long-haul destinations became cheaper despite growing consumer demand. Prices for trips to the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, fell by 10 percent, dropping from 511,100 rubles to 457,800 rubles, while booking demand rose nearly three times.
Holiday packages to the Seychelles, another luxury Indian Ocean resort destination, saw a 17 percent reduction in cost, with demand growing 2.8 times over the period. Indonesia recorded a 2.1-fold increase in booking interest while maintaining a stable average trip price.
Tanzania experienced the most dramatic growth in popularity among Russian holidaymakers, with booking demand surging 22-fold following the introduction of direct flights connecting Russia with the East African nation.
Popular resort destinations and autumn travel
Onlinetours operates as a major digital travel aggregator in Russia, tracking package holiday pricing, flight bookings, and resort availability across international destinations. Mediterranean resorts in Turkey, Red Sea destinations in Egypt, and tropical locations in Thailand have long formed the core of Russian outbound leisure travel, supported by regular charter flights and established hotel infrastructure.
The findings on rising annual travel costs come alongside reports detailing late-season weather conditions across popular Mediterranean resorts. A Russian tourist recently described autumn travel in Turkey by stating that swimming is not guaranteed towards the end of October, explaining that sea temperatures steadily drop while prolonged rainfall and strong winds set in.
