During the New Year holidays, many Russians chose a diverse mix of regions for their getaways. The Volgograd and Krasnoyarsk regions, along with Oryol, Penza, Arkhangelsk, Orenburg, and Kamchatka, stood out as popular destinations, with hotel bookings in these areas rising significantly. This trend reflects a broader shift in holiday plans, where travelers sought both classic and less-visited locales to celebrate the season.
Additionally, destinations in the Caucasus and nearby areas showed strong performance. Ossetia-Alania, Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Ce rkessia each reported healthy booking activity. Among the well-trodden favorites were Krasnodar Territory, Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, and Moscow, underscoring the continuing appeal of major urban centers and cultural hubs during the holiday window. Overall, hotel reservations across Russia grew by roughly 18 percent compared with the previous year, signaling a robust rebound in domestic travel during the festive period.
Across the country, growth appeared in a broad swath of regions. Of Russia’s 77 regions, around 20 demonstrated increases of 10 to 20 percent in hotel occupancy during the holidays. Regions highlighted in this upturn included Altai Territory, Astrakhan, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Rostov, Samara, Tambov, Tyumen, and Khabarovsk, as well as Primorsky Territory, Bashkortostan, Karelia, Sevastopol, and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. The pattern points to a wide spread of interest in regional travel, with travelers exploring both familiar and emerging destinations.
Industry data from the hospitality sector similarly indicate pronounced activity within the domestic market. Travelers spent more on the road, with typical nightly rates reflecting a mixed picture of affordability and value depending on location and dates. The trend toward longer stays and more flexible itineraries contributed to a steady uplift in total holiday spend, reinforcing the idea that many households treated the season as an opportunity to discover new corners of the country.
Meanwhile, outward travel remained popular as well, with a substantial portion of holiday budgets allocated to international destinations. The season continued to see Russian visitors prioritizing well-known international hubs, balancing familiar comforts with new experiences abroad. The overall narrative for the season points to a dynamic holiday landscape, where both domestic wanderlust and international travel aspirations coexisted, shaping a vibrant travel market during the New Year period.