Some 24 mln Russian tourists to travel abroad in 2024, including 10 mln using tour operator services - RUTI

MOSCOW. Sept 18 (Interfax) - Russian tourists are actively traveling abroad, and the number of such tourists is expected to reach 24 million by the end of 2024, including 10 million to 11 million using services of tour operators, Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) Vice President Dmitry Gorin said.

"Our forecast is that about 10 million people will buy package tours this year, or maybe 11 million if more transportation options are provided. The total number of travelers will be much bigger, about 24 million. Domestic tourism dynamics near 100 million. We are seeing a trend towards the recovery of domestic and international travel," Gorin said at a press conference on Wednesday.

At least 5.5 million trips were taken in summer, up 10% from the year before. Gorin said.

"There are a number of factors which contributed to this. First of all, the scale of air transportation. Russian airlines increased international flights by 40%, which made it possible to reduce the average air fare, in contrast to domestic flights," he said.

The share of organized tours in international travel is growing, as Russian citizens have problems with paying for tours and services abroad, he said.

The most popular international travel destinations are Turkey, Abkhazia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Thailand. Inbound and outbound travel is actively developing with China, and there is demand for travel to Europe, he said.