Tours to foreign countries always sound more exotic and Russians love to visit new destinations, but this year local trips became the thing. When asked about the reasons to take vacations locally rather than going overseas, 58% of respondents to a recent survey said they love the country, this is why.

Why do Russians travel locally?

The question itself may sound strange, as it’s rather normal to take local trips, which is more convenient and doesn’t require extensive preparations, such as visas.

However, specialists of OneTwoTrip decided to find out why precisely residents of Russia take trips within the country, Lenta.ru reported.

• 58% of locals tour Russia because they love their country.
• 17% of respondents didn’t have a visa to enter foreign states.
• 9% of survey participants said they simply cannot leave the country (reasons could vary, from debts to criminal records).

Further 16% of users had others reasons such as visiting family or friends, or enjoying some particular location.

Altogether, 44% of respondents who use the booking site managed to get away from home this year for a trip. Further 13% of respondents hope to take a vacation away from home until the end of the year.

Where do Russians love to travel within their own country?

In fact, Russian Federation offers diverse environments within 9 time zones from Europe to Far East, many of which are stunningly raw, while others are rich in history and sights.

Moscow and St. Petersburg remain the two most popular destinations to visit for both locals and foreigners.

Most Russian women love to take a trip away from home, whether it is within their own region or going further away.

The reason for that is simple: The vast majority of people in Russia live in small apartments (some of them are only 15-30 square meters in size) and it’s quite tough to spend a lot of time in such a limited space. This is why weekend getaways are popular, as well as spending vacations by the Black Sea (Sochi, Crimea), as most of Russian cities are located in land.

At the same time, many Russian residents complain that a trip to Crimea cost twice as much as an all-inclusive tour to Turkey’s Antalya, while the level of Turkish service is far superior. “Non-obtrusive” Russian service has been discussed in length on websites of foreign travellers, but things remain relatively stable with just slight improvements in capitals such as Moscow or St. Petersburg.

Read also:

• Solo travel in Russia: Is it safe? What do people think about it?
• Best Russian cities to visit
• Where to go in Russia for a safe vacation
• Summer vacations 2020: Preferences of Russian tourists (poll results)