Russians Prepare for their Summer Vacations this Year
Summer Tourism in Russia: A Mixed Bag Amidst the Aftermath of the Black Sea Oil Spill
The summer tourism season in Russia for 2025 has seen a significant shift, with the impact of the Black Sea oil spill in December 2024 leaving its mark on popular resorts.
According to Yuri Vyushin from Tutu.ru, the demand for spiritual trips has seen a quarter increase among younger demographics, known as "zoomers", accounting for 34% of monastery trips in January-June. However, this trend has not extended to the Black Sea resorts, which have been hit hard by the environmental disaster.
Sochi, Gelendzhik, and Anapa Struggle Amidst Environmental Concerns
Sochi, Gelendzhik, and especially Anapa are experiencing significantly reduced tourism for summer 2025. The oil spill has led to environmental and health concerns, causing disrupted tourism and persistent difficulties in these resorts. Anapa, a major resort on the Black Sea coast, is facing a crisis in tourism, with hotel occupancy dropping to about 30% in the first half of the year and overall visitors decreasing by more than 75% compared to 2024. Beaches remain closed for swimming due to ongoing contamination, severely affecting all local tourism-related businesses.
Meanwhile, Crimea Sees a Record Increase in Vacation Demand
As a contrast to the struggling Black Sea resorts, Crimea has experienced a record increase in vacation demand for 2025, with bookings up 1.5 times compared to 2024. Crimea’s resorts, including places like Kerch, are becoming alternatives for tourists who would otherwise visit the Russian mainland Black Sea coast.
Eisk: An Unexpected Leader
Eisk (Yeisk), located on the Sea of Azov slightly northeast of the Black Sea resorts, has seen an unexpected surge of interest this summer and is now among the top ten most popular resorts in the region. The tourism industry had expected a 10-15% increase in Sochi tourists this year, but the oil spill led to lower-than-expected demand for summer holidays, causing a shift in tourist flow towards smaller towns and villages.
Russian Tourists Embrace Non-Standard Destinations
Russian tourists are increasingly choosing small towns and villages for their holidays, such as those in the Kaliningrad region, the Azov coast, Altai, Karelia, Suzdal, Smolensk, Rybinsk, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, and non-standard destinations like Divyevo, Suzdal for Cucumber Day, or Ples for art festivals. This trend is driven by a demand for "crowd-free" vacations with nature, cultural, and spiritual components, such as pilgrimages, hiking, mountain getaways, or changing the scenery away from resort bustle.
Local hoteliers in Anapa have offered tourists alternative options such as hotels with pools, spas, and various leisure activities. Ecotourism, treehouse tourism, and gastronomic farm tourism, which involve trips to remote areas, are also gaining popularity.
Maria Zhuravleva, head of the "TurSlet" travel booking service, states that zoomers are attracted to non-standard vacations and are interested in the uniqueness of locations and residents.
Despite the significant drop in tourist flow due to the oil spill, Anapa remains in the top five main holiday destinations in the Krasnodar region. VTB's Structure has become the owner of a five-star hotel in Kamchatka, indicating a potential shift in tourist focus towards other regions of Russia.
In Gelendzhik, interest picked up after the airport reopened in late July, but the resort did not initially experience a sudden influx of tourists. Sochi, the largest resort in the Krasnodar region, did not experience a significant increase in tourist flow as expected, despite receiving as many tourists as last year.
The Eisky District experienced an 18% increase in the number of tourists from the beginning of the year to August, with more than 200,000 visitors. Hotel bookings in Yeisk, the unexpected leader, increased by 60% compared to last year.
[1] News Source 1 [2] News Source 2 [3] News Source 3 [4] News Source 4
