A list of the most popular tourist destinations withRussian tourists was determined by a number of search requests made by Russian
users of TripAdvisor.com between January 1 and December 31, 2012.
Top 10 goes as follows: Paris,
Dubai, New York,
Rome, London, Prague, Istanbul, Barcelona, Hurghada, and Bangkok.
The romantic Paris
remains the most popular travel destination with the Russians, even despite the
rise in hotel rates. Tourists come here for famous restaurants and galleries,
and romantic landscapes seen in well-loved movies, and stay for the country’s
diverse history, abundance of cultural landmarks and museums.
The oriental Dubai
is gathering pace as well. According to the emirate’s tourism department, the
inbound tourist flow from Russia
grew by 53% compared to 2011. The destination experts associate the increasing
interest with a large number of new festivals, fairs and other entertainment
activities held in Dubai,
as well as the region’s prolific climate, distinguished nature, and a
possibility to combine beach leisure with great shopping and extreme sports.
For several years now, the USA,
and New York City
in particular, has been one of the most desirable and in-demand destinations
among Russian travellers. Tour operators believe the facilitation of the visa
application procedure and the rundown of refusals to be the prime reasons for
the tourist flow growth. Hundreds of tourists sites, all kinds of entertainment
at hand, and the best shopping make New
York the absolute leader among other American cities.
Students and seasonal workers, too, contribute to the inflow of Russian
tourists.
As many as six European cities in the top 10 show that
many Russians prefer travelling around Europe.
Convenient air connection and Schengen multivisas make it quite easy to plan a
trip and call for visiting several countries at a time.
Egypt and Thailand
– the most popular beach destinations with Russian tourists – are just 9th
and 10th on the TripAdvisor’s list. The reason is obvious: most
tourists prefer buying a package tour instead of planning their holiday all by
themselves. Nonetheless, more and more Russians tend to study other tourists’
reviews on hotels and near-by restaurants and attractions.
