Russian tourists flocked to Tver Oblast and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast during the summer of 2026, according to findings from domestic tour operator Alean reported by the newspaper Kommersant.
Alongside the surge in the two central Russian regions, Anapa also recorded growth during the summer travel season. Mountain destinations gained momentum as well, with resorts such as Manzherok, Arkhyz and Dombay recording tourist traffic growth of 10 to 12 percent year on year.
By contrast, demand fell for several traditional Black Sea beach destinations. Russian holidaymakers showed reduced interest in Sochi, Tuapse, Novorossiysk and Crimea over the same summer period.
Shift in tourist spending
Figures from travel platforms indicated a steady rise in holiday expenditure across domestic routes. Online booking service Travelata reported that the average cost of tours sold between June and August reached 237,000 rubles, representing a 10.8 percent increase compared with the previous year.
Another major travel aggregator, Sletat.ru, estimated that the average check for tours rose by between 3.1 percent and 21.6 percent, with exact price growth varying by destination.
Geographic trends and regional resort profiles
Tver Oblast, located in western Russia northwest of Moscow along the upper stretches of the Volga River, and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, situated further east at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers, both offer cultural tourism and riverfront recreation. Alean is one of Russia's major domestic tour operators specialising in regional holiday packages.
The mountain destinations seeing increased visitors span different mountain chains across Russia. Manzherok is a mountain resort in the Altai region of southern Siberia, while Arkhyz and Dombay are established mountain leisure hubs in the North Caucasus. Meanwhile, Sochi, Tuapse, Novorossiysk and Crimea represent the core cluster of seaside resort areas along the Black Sea coast.
The strong summer performance in Tver aligns with broader travel interest in the area, following earlier reports of Russians turning their attention toward autumn holidays in the region.
