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Türkiye is expected to welcome over 7 million Russian tourists in 2024, surpassing last year's figure of 6.7 million, according to Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Travel Industry Union.
Gorin attributes the increase to several factors, including the strengthening of the Russian ruble, the expansion of international flight routes, and pent-up demand from previous years.
He also noted that bookings for foreign travel have risen by 15% to 30% compared to last summer, with destinations like Vietnam and Thailand seeing growth rates above 60%.
Aeroflot, Russia’s flag carrier, has experienced a decline in domestic passenger traffic for the fourth consecutive month but continues to see growth in international routes. Since the beginning of 2024, the airline has carried 4% fewer passengers on domestic flights compared to the same period last year, while its international passenger traffic rose by 8.4%.
In April alone, Aeroflot transported 1.5 million passengers domestically (down 3.3%) and 777,000 internationally (up 15.2%).
Despite reduced traffic on some internal routes—especially between Moscow and St. Petersburg—Aeroflot and its group carriers, including Pobeda and Rossiya, served a total of 15.6 million passengers in the first four months of the year. The group's international seat occupancy reached 89%, while domestic flights averaged 93%, approaching summer peak levels.
Experts say the focus on more profitable international routes is reshaping the Russian aviation sector. Increased flight frequencies to destinations such as China, Vietnam, and Bali have also contributed to the rise in outbound travel. Within this context, Türkiye remains one of the top choices for Russian tourists in 2024.
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