Turkey remains a favorite destination for Russians. But North Korea is also gaining popularity. However, more and more Russians cannot afford a vacation at all and are staying at home or vacationing at the villa.
This year, Oman is an official guest at the Moscow Tourism Fair. However, at the moment, not many Russians are willing to go on vacation to the Persian Gulf countries.
Turkey and China categorically remain the most preferred destinations, as well as Vietnam, Thailand or the UAE, according to the German public broadcaster ARD. All of them are accessible to Russians without a prior visa, as are over a hundred other countries - such as the Marxist one-party state of Laos.
Interest in her stand is high, and the one-party system in general seems to be a hit in terms of tourism. Many agencies also offer trips to North Korea, the German public media reports. Their advertising includes an inflatable North Korean ballistic missile, large North Korean flags and photos of long white beaches.
"Exceptional service, five-star hotels, fantastic food"
"The culture, the architecture - everything there must be wonderful. I haven't been there yet, but I definitely want to go," a young man told ARD.
When asked whether the living conditions of the locals and the lack of freedom in the country would not hinder the holiday mood, Ivan Prokhorov, a representative of the "Vostok Intour" agency, only answered this: "North Korea is a republic". Other statements in this regard were beyond his competence.
Anastasia Chigareva from the "Project Pyongyang" agency has already accompanied tourist groups to North Korea. "Exceptional service, five-star hotels, fantastic food. And they know Russian. It happens that even the North Korean guide knows the Russian anthem better than the Russians in the group." Chigareva also did not comment on the living conditions of the local population. "That people are not excited about this in Turkey and Italy either," she says in this regard.
In addition, in North Korea, Russian tourists are special guests and are "privileged" in communicating with each other - other tourists are not allowed in the country, even the Chinese are not currently receiving tourist visas, Chigareva explains to the German public media.
According to data from the Russian authorities, almost 10,000 trips to North Korea were sold last year, almost half of which were tourist trips. Demand is growing steadily, the trend of recent years shows.
Turkey remains a favorite
Overall, the desire of Russians to travel to some areas has almost reached pre-pandemic levels. And despite the anti-NATO propaganda in the state media, Turkey, a member of the defense alliance, is now attracting almost as many people from Russia as before the war in Ukraine and before the pandemic.
However, polls show that last year only one in ten Russians could afford a vacation abroad. And the least were visits to EU countries, which stems from the sanctions - visas are much more difficult to issue, there are no direct flights, and Russians do not feel welcome in the Community, notes ARD. "I prefer to go to friendly countries", a Muscovite tells the German public media.
For him, the fronts are clear, as is the case for a Russian woman, who says the following: "We would visit Europe with pleasure, but only when the situation is over. For now, we have postponed trips there". "The situation" is a code word used for war, explains ARD - the situation, the circumstances, the events.
The crocodiles of Kolomna
The war against Ukraine has led to a boom in domestic tourism in Russia, informs the German public media and gives the example of the trips offered to Kolomna, two hours from Moscow, where there is an animal farm, including crocodiles. On March 8, the area was visited by 5,000 guests, says the agency, which offers trips there and overnight stays in holiday homes.
In that case, you inevitably ask yourself - why go to Egypt, when I can see crocodiles in Kolomna, writes ARD. And there are many other interesting sights in the country - Lake Baikal, Sochi or the eight ancient Russian cities, united in the route "Golden Ring".
However, often even they are not much more profitable than a vacation abroad. As polls show, there are few who can afford a vacation even in Russia itself. Last year, two thirds of those surveyed spent their vacation at home or at the dacha, notes ARD.