Russian tourists are discovering new and sometimes completely unexpected countries this year in search of new emotions, tour operators and travel agents say. We have compiled a list of “special” and unusual travel preferences of Russians for the New Year and holidays – 2024.
In the past year, many tourists have pleasantly surprised tour operators with their desire to diversify their holidays in popular countries, or even relax in countries that are little known even to an experienced tourist.
Tour operators, adapting to the changing requirements of consumers, form new travel products, and calculate any vacation according to individual requests.
“One of the biggest New Year’s surprises is the rise in demand for winter South Korea. Admittedly, it was hard to believe that Russian tourists would be so attracted, for example, by a ski vacation in this country. We also received requests from tourists who bought a tour to Mauritius to complement such a trip Madagascar. We are already preparing such programs. Tourists vacationing on our line in India are ready to stop by Nepal and Bhutan. And the Russians who came to us with a request for Saudi Arabia, they want Islamic shrines, the sea, and the mountains in one tour. All this is possible,” Intourist said.
The principle of diversity, judging by the data of tour operators, began to work actively in all directions this year – tourists choose non-standard locations in familiar countries for the New Year.
For example, some Anex tourists who want to celebrate the New Year in Thailand chose for these purposes not Phuket, but the resort Hua Hin, and in Turkey – not Antalya, but Cappadocia. A number of curious tourists of this tour operator who are going to Egypt will celebrate the New Year not in Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, but in Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast.
Among the clients of FUN&SUN there are Russians who will celebrate the New Year with tours of this tour operator in Australiaand, Namibiaand, Kenya, Philippines, ski resorts in Turkey.
And curious tourists of the PAC Group will go to Ethiopia, Nepal, Australia, Madagascar, among others.
THE MOST UNUSUAL COUNTRIES THAT RUSSIANS HAVE CHOSEN TO CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR – 2024
The countries and resorts listed above, although “original”, are still difficult to call them “unexpected”, because many Russians are already familiar with them. But some tourists of tour operators, with a particularly great thirst for novelty and adventure, go much further.
So, in the Online Express system, which is part of the Russian Express holding, there are New Year’s bookings to these countries:
- Puerto Rico
- Zambia
- Aruba
- Kuwait
In the PAC Group, the list of unexpected countries looks like this:
- Barbados
- Costa Rica
- Chile
- Ecuador
In an interview with the correspondent of Vestnik ATOR, travel agents supplemented the list with several more original options that the Russians chose for the 2024 meeting:
- Fiji
- French Polynesia (Bora Bora)
- Vanuatu
- Comoros
- Sao Tome and Principe.
HOW MUCH DOES A FLIGHT IN JANUARY COST THE MOST EXOTIC NEW YEAR’S COUNTRIES:
- Moscow – Sao Tome and Principe – from 102.2 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carrier is Ethiopian Airlines. The total travel time is 22 hours 5 minutes, 2 transfers in Addis Ababa and Libreville.
- Moscow – Puerto Rico – from 84.8 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carrier is Qatar Airways. The total travel time is 30 hours and 8 minutes, 2 transfers in Doha and Miami.
- Moscow – Zambia – from 72.5 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carrier is Ethiopian Airlines. The total travel time is 40 hours and 50 minutes, 2 transfers in Addis Ababa and Johannesburg.
- Moscow – Aruba – from 580.9 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carrier is Qatar Airways. The total travel time is 44 hours and 50 minutes, with 2 transfers in Doha and New York.
- Moscow – Kuwait – from 27 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The journey takes 5 hours. The carrier is Jazeera Airways.
- Moscow – Vanuatu – from 387.6 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carrier is Qatar Airways. The total travel time is 56 hours and 25 minutes, with 2 transfers in Doha and Brisbane.
- Moscow – French Polynesia (Tahiti) – from 150.1 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carriers are Emirates and Air Tahiti Nui. Total travel time is 32 hours 8 minutes, 2 transfers in Dubai and Tokyo
- Moscow – Comoros – from 44.9 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carrier is EgyptAir. The total travel time is 14 hours and 50 minutes, 1 transfer in Cairo.
- Moscow – Fiji – from 107.9 thousand rubles per person in one direction. The carriers are Aeroflot, AirAsia X, Batik Air and Virgin Australia. The total travel time is 64 hours 25 minutes, 4 transfers in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Brisbane.
THE TREND FOR TRAVEL ORIGINALITY WILL CONTINUE
More and more tourists are demanding new experiences, and therefore the demand for original travel will strengthen, tour operators say.
“Of course, Russian tourists in 2024 will continue to explore the world in search of new meanings, emotions, and impressions. We will try to meet their needs. In our opinion, “originality” will strengthen its position, both in the segment of individual tours and in the mass. On a massive scale, this will be reflected, among other things, in the growing demand for combined tours and the expansion of the geography of recreation within one country,” said Daria Domostroeva, PR Director of Intourist.
Alexandra Polyanskaya
