OneTwoTrip, a travel planning service, analyzed the destinations Russians selected for fall travel, focusing on both air orders and hotel bookings. The takeaway is clear: the most popular cities remain Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the warm southern hubs of Sochi and Adler. These core hubs continue to attract the largest share of flights and stays, confirming a strong preference for familiar, well-connected destinations among travelers in Russia. According to the study results reported by socialbites.ca, the pattern echoes last year, underscoring stable demand for major city gateways and coveted resort areas. These insights help illuminate how Russians balance city breaks with seaside escapes when planning autumn travel, and they reflect broader patterns in domestic and international tourism within the market. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Flights
The autumn travel season saw a modest shift toward international travel, with 12% of flight bookings abroad, compared with 9% the previous year. The average price of an international one-way ticket hovered around 25,700 rubles, while domestic air travel within Russia averaged about 5,300 rubles. This price dynamic highlights the relative affordability of domestic routes in a year when international travel remains a consideration for many travelers. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Among domestic routes, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Sochi continued to top the charts as the most popular departure and destination points. Moscow maintained its consistent prominence from last autumn, while St. Petersburg and Sochi recorded increases of roughly 10% and 20%, respectively, signaling growing interest in these two cities as hubs for both business and leisure travel. The results suggest that travel demand remains resilient in core metropolitan areas and resort vicinities alike. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Additional destinations for flight bookings included Makhachkala with a 20% rise in demand, Mineralnye Vody up 40%, Yekaterinburg up 40%, Ufa up 10%, Kazan up 25%, Kaliningrad steady, and Tyumen up 30%. Outside Russia, travelers flew with notable frequency to Osh, where demand rose by 5%, and to Dushanbe, which doubled in popularity after previously ranking 10th. Other international centers showing sustained interest were Baku, Minsk, and Dubai, each contributing to a diverse pattern of seasonal travel. Antalya also experienced a notable shift, and Dubai saw demand triple from the previous year. These movements illustrate how Russian travelers mix domestic and international trips to maximize value and experience in the autumn window. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Hotels
For hotel stays abroad, Russian travelers showed a clear tilt toward international destinations, with foreign hotel bookings rising from 16% in 2021 to 32% this autumn. The average daily hotel rate stayed around 5,900 rubles, slightly below last year’s 6,000 rubles, indicating that while more travelers choose international lodging, daily costs have remained stable overall. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Within Russia, hotel demand remained strongest in Moscow, though overall demand in the capital declined by about 20% over the year. In contrast, Saint Petersburg showed renewed appeal, and Adler emerged as a favored resort town, marking a 35% year-over-year increase in occupancy. This shift hints at travelers rediscovering coastal and resort options as part of a balanced autumn itinerary. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Other notable destinations for hotel bookings included Kazan and Esto-Sadok, where housing demand held steady throughout the year. Sochi saw a robust 50% rise in reservations, reflecting continued interest in premium seaside experiences. Minsk, a city in Belarus, also joined the list with a marked increase in demand, while Dubai climbed from the 22nd position to higher visibility. Yerevan reported a threefold increase in bookings, and Yekaterinburg experienced a notable decline of 40%, illustrating the varied appeal of different urban centers. These movements underscore the importance of both regional cities and major resort clusters in shaping travel planning across the Russian-speaking world. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]
Historically, travel analysis from socialbites.ca has also stated that there are affordable options for rail travel within Russia during December, offering additional ways for travelers to optimize their itineraries during the winter outlook. That overview complements the flight and hotel trends by highlighting how multi-modal journeys influence overall travel costs and time planning for the season. [Source attribution: socialbites.ca]