In the first half of 2024, the number of trips by Russians to Armenia decreased by 17%, reaching 452.8 thousand, while visits to Georgia and Azerbaijan increased by 31.5% and 26%, respectively.
According to statistics from the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service, analyzed by RBC, Russian citizens made 12.6 million trips abroad in January-June 2024. This represents a 9% increase compared to January-June 2023, when the Border Guard Service recorded 11.6 million trips.
Among the countries Russians most frequently visited in the first half of 2024, for all purposes, were both neighboring countries (Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Georgia) and popular tourist destinations (Turkey, UAE, Egypt, Thailand).
Turkey remained the absolute leader in the number of entries by Russians for all purposes. The flow of Russians to Turkey grew by 9.4% compared to last year, reaching 2.5 million trips in January-June 2024. There was also a notable threefold increase in trips from Russia to China (793.4 thousand trips).
Thailand (with a 30% increase in trips) and Egypt (up 15%) were also among the top ten most visited countries. Kazakhstan was also a popular destination for Russians, although the number of trips to this country decreased by 9% year-over-year, to 1.2 million.
Among the neighboring countries, Russians visited Armenia less frequently in the first half of the year, with the number of trips decreasing by 17% compared to the previous year, to 452.8 thousand, down from 545.7 thousand a year ago. However, Russians traveled more to Georgia—522.7 thousand trips (up 31.5%)—and Azerbaijan—340 thousand trips (up 26%)—compared to the previous year.
