Ever been to Siberia's Tuva republic? According to a report published Monday by Russia's National Rating pollster, the republic is the least-attractive tourist destination for travelers in Russia.
Russia's southern Krasnodar region topped the list of places in Russia with tourism potential, the report said, with the cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow in close second and third place.
The report judged 85 Russian destinations across nine categories, including the region's current popularity among domestic and foreign tourists, the local environment, transport and tourist infrastructure.
Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in March and designated as a hub for domestic tourism, came in fourth place.
Russian tourists are increasingly having to look inside the country's borders for vacation destinations. The sharp devaluation of the ruble — which has lost roughly half of its value compared to the dollar over the past year — has made travel to Europe and Western countries a luxury many Russians can't afford.
But budget options are rapidly decreasing. Russia's authorities earlier froze all flights to Egypt after its Airbus A321 broke up mid-air over the Sinai peninsula in a suspected terror attack. They also canceled charter flights to Turkey and recommended that Russians avoid the country in retaliation for the downing of one its fighter jets on the border with Syria last month.
