Very few Russian tourists are expected to reach the EU Member States this summer, as the sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine remain effective, and they continue piling up, the GlobalData reveals.
According to the data and analytics company, Russia represented the fifth country globally with the most international departures in 2021, reaching a total of 13.7 million. More specifically, almost 20 per cent of all outbound and domestic trips in Russia were recorded in June and July, indicating a strong interest of Russian tourists in travelling in summer, last year’s data shows.
Additionally, travellers from Russia spent a total of €21.3 billion in 2021, which earned the country a spot in the top ten source markets globally for total outbound tourist expenditure, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“The start of summer usually marks an influx of Russian travellers to warm European sun and beach destinations. However, this will not be the case for many nations that usually welcome Russian tourists every year, which will not do their post-COVID-19 recovery timelines any favours,” Ralph Hollister, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, says.
The most impacted countries by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in terms of tourism are Italy and Cyprus, which will remain subject to decreases in the economy due to the reduction of Russian visitors.
The latter made up one of the top tourism markets in Cyprus, with the country being almost entirely dependent on the industry. More specifically, Russian visitors accounted for six per cent of the total trips within Cyprus – representing the top ten inbound source markets for 2021.
According to GlobalData’s Q3 2021 Consumer Survey, 61 per cent of Russian respondents stated that they typically prefer sun and beach trips, which means Russians will especially miss out on Cyprus’ popular coastal areas, such as Limassol.
Previously, rating agency DBRS Morningstar revealed that Cyprus’ Gross Domestic Production (GDP) is expected to lose from 1.5 to two per cent of its worth due to sanctions imposed on Russians, which leaves the latter unable to visit Cyprus this summer.
The importance of Russian tourists as an international source market for tourism is evident, especially because the world was coming out of a pandemic which damaged aviation and tourism.
“Although only Italy and Cyprus have been mentioned, the near elimination of Russian tourists travelling to the EU this summer will impact tourism demand across Europe. As a result, post-COVID-19 recovery timelines for many destinations will be extended due to the loss of a major source market,” Hollister noted.
Russian tourists also impacted the industry as those were amongst the first ones to show a willingness to travel while there was a mass uncertainty about travelling as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.
