Tourist flow growing fastest in North Caucasus regions in Russia in 2023 - study

MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax) - The flow of tourists in Russia went up 25% in 2023, a study conducted by SberAnalytics shows.

It is growing the fastest in the regions of the North Caucasus, the study shows.

"Russians made 115 million trips in the country over nine months in 2023. The popularity of travel in Russia increased by 25% from the same period last year. The flow of tourists increased the most in the regions of the North Caucasus, including by 103% in the Chechen Republic, by 85% in Dagestan, 72% in Karachayevo-Cherkessia, and 52% in North Ossetia - Alania. The Leningrad region also hosted considerably more tourists, 63% more," the report said.

According to the study, travelers' behavior as tourists is changing. Russians are looking to visit as many regions as possible. Trips are becoming more frequent, and their duration is decreasing. Tourists vacation in other regions 5.8 days on average, and spend 3,500 rubles a day on this.

"The average age of tourists is 43.6, [their] monthly income is 74,300 rubles. On half of all trips, tourists travel by car, 26% of travelers choose trains, and 23% go by plane. Only 12% of Russians use the services of tour operators for inbound tourism. And the older the tourists, the higher the probability that they will buy ready package offers. In the 18-24 age group, only seven percent travel in an organized manner, while the percentage is 26% in the 60-65 age group," the report said.

Sixty-eight percent of Russians travel in pairs and/or with children, 12% travel with friends, and 10% travel alone. An exception is young people under 25. In half of cases, they travel on vacation in groups, and in one third of cases they travel alone.

According to an online poll conducted by SberAnalytics, 50% of Russians expect to rest from their worries when on vacation. The percentage of respondents who hope to slow down and relax while traveling is highest among young people and people with high incomes. As people age, the focus shifts from active leisure towards broadening their minds (30%) and restoring their health (27%).

Services are the main driver in volumes of spending on tourism. In its structure, the share of payments for public catering, entertainment and services increased from 12.1% in 2022 to 15.7% in the first nine months of 2023. The frequency of spending in the public catering category increased by 25%.