Foreign tourists made 2.99 million trips to Russia in January–June 2026, a 19.6% drop from the same period a year earlier, Kommersant reported, citing data from the Russian state statistics service Rosstat. The figure is the lowest for the first half of a year since 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were still in effect.
Rosstat recorded higher numbers throughout the full-scale war: 3.65 million trips in the first half of 2022, 3.43 million in 2023, nearly 4 million in 2024, and 3.72 million in 2025. After peaking in 2024, the indicator has now declined for two consecutive years, The Insider noted.
The decline accelerated in the second quarter: January–March trips fell 9% year-on-year, while April–June saw a roughly 27% drop. The bulk of tourist traffic comes from neighboring countries. According to Rosstat data for January–March 2026, the top sources were Kazakhstan (391,000 trips), China (221,000), Abkhazia (111,000), and Uzbekistan (105,000). These four countries accounted for more than half of all trips.
Tourist flow from European countries has fallen sharply compared with pre-pandemic and pre-war levels. In the first half of 2025, Finland accounted for 2,700 trips (down from 430,000 in the first half of 2019), Germany for 47,000 (down from 270,000), and France for 6,800 (down from 106,000).
Industry representatives attribute the sharp decline to several factors. Sergei Romashkin, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, estimated an overall 15% drop in inbound traffic, adding that the decline intensified in summer. Marina Levchenko, general director of Tari Tour, said the situation deteriorated sharply in March because of the war in the Middle East, which led to restrictions on flight programs. She linked the May–June decline to a negative information environment: tourists are worried by reports of a fuel crisis and airport disruptions, as well as the high cost of travel.
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) cited disruptions in air service as the key deterrent. According to The Insider, Moscow airports alone introduced flight restrictions at least 214 times from the start of the year through June 19 because of attacks by Ukrainian drones.