Thousands of travel agencies have begun to close in Russia
18 July 14:17
Between January and June 2026, 2,700 travel companies ceased operations in Russia—a 52.3% increase from the previous year, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
The reasons included a drop in demand as Russians tightened their belts, as well as the fuel crisis and regular airport closures caused by attacks by Ukrainian drones. As a result, the growth in the number of travel agencies was the lowest in three years—just 0.84%.
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Alexander Bragin, director of the Association of Travel Aggregators, cited Russians’ desire to cut travel expenses as the main factor behind the mass closures in the industry.
“We’re seeing a trend toward saving money, choosing cheaper vacation options, and slightly shortening the duration of trips,” he said.
According to media reports, the average cost of tours to Egypt rose by only 0.2% over the year, to Turkey by 1.5%, and to Thailand by 2.5%, while trips within Russia, as well as to Vietnam, the UAE, China, and Abkhazia, showed a decline of 0.2–39.6%.
According to media estimates, the number of packaged tours booked within Russia from January through June fell by 31% year-over-year; journalists estimate the decline at 22%.
International destinations were unable to offset the losses caused by the U.S. war in Iran, which affected the entire Middle East: from early March to mid-June, sales of tours to a number of countries in the region were banned, and air service was restricted.
As a result, the volume of bookings for international tours remained roughly at last year’s level, according to Fun & Sun. However, other data indicate a 5% decline in the number of bookings.
Tour operators suffered additional losses due to mass refunds for canceled trips. After the closure of Middle Eastern destinations, the total amount exceeded 19 billion rubles, and then companies faced cancellations of tours to Sochi and the annexed Crimea, most of which was left without fuel, electricity, and water due to Ukrainian strikes.
As a result, many travel agencies closed because they were unable to restructure their businesses following the drop in demand; broader economic factors, including tax increases, also played a role, Bragin noted.
Earlier, Sergey Romashkin, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR), reported that demand for domestic tourism in the first half of the year fell by 3% year-over-year—to 40.1 million trips, whereas during the same period last year, growth of 7% was recorded (to 41.4 million trips).
A media source at the Ministry of Economic Development claimed that in June, the number of domestic travel bookings in Russia fell by approximately 4% year-over-year. A ministry representative also attributed the decline to “difficulties in securing fuel.”
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