Spain, Italy and Portugal have been named the top three tourist destinations for Russians traveling abroad this summer though Ukraine's Kiev has been dropped from holiday wish lists, a survey shows.
The survey published Monday by one of Russia's biggest hotel-booking websites, Oktogo.ru, showed Greece, Turkey and France among the top 10 most popular destinations for Russians traveling independently of a tour operator between June and August, Interfax reported.
Germany and Britain also featured on the top 10 list, with the latter's capital city London ranking first in terms of where Russians will spend the greatest amount on hotel bills, at 6,400 ($188) rubles a night, the survey showed.
On average, Russians heading abroad this summer will spend about six days away and are willing to spend about 4000 rubles ($118) a night on accommodation, Oktogo head of operations Olga Favarizova said, Interfax reported.
Unsurprisingly, Russians have a soft spot for beach holidays and will spend an average of 15 days by the sea in Bulgaria this summer, 13 days on Spain's Tenerife and Majorca, and 12 days on one of the Greek islands, the survey showed.
For Russians heading away on city breaks, popular destinations include Barcelona, Rome and Paris. The Baltic cities of Riga and Vilnius also feature on the list of preferred cities, though Ukraine's capital Kiev — where pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from power by anti-government protesters in February — has fallen out grace after featuring in last year's top ten, the survey showed.
The most popular destinations in Russia this summer include Moscow, where tourists will spend an average five days in total, and St. Petersburg, where tourists will spend about five days on average.
Within Russia, vacationers will spend most time at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics — 12 days — with Tatarstan capital Kazan and the southern resort of Anapa also listed as popular destinations for longer vacations.?
See also:
Russian Travel Operators Say Tourism Affected By Ukraine Crisis
Contact the author at j.monaghan@imedia.ru