Thousands Of Travel Agencies Have Begun To Close In Russia
- 18.07.2026, 13:35
Russians don't have time for vacations right now.
In January–June 2026, 2,700 travel companies ceased operations in Russia—a 52.3% increase from the previous year, according to Kommersant reports, citing data from Kontur.Focus. 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%.
Alexander Bragin, director of the Association of Travel Aggregators , cited Russians’ desire to cut back on 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 a slight reduction in trip duration,” he said.
According to “Sletat.ru,” the average spending on tours to Egypt over the year rose by only 0.2%, 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% depending on the destination.
According to Travelata.ru’s estimates, the number of packaged tours booked within Russia from January through June fell by 31% year-over-year; “Sletat.ru” estimates 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 through mid-June, sales of tours to a number of countries in the region were banned, and air travel was restricted.
As a result, the volume of bookings for overseas tours remained roughly at last year’s level, according to Travelata.ru and Fun & Sun. Meanwhile, Russky Express reported a 5% decline in the number of bookings. Mass refunds for canceled trips caused additional losses for tour operators. 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 Vedomosti source at the Ministry of Economic Development claimed that in June, the number of domestic bookings in Russia fell by approximately 4% year-over-year. A spokesperson for the ministry also attributed the decline to “difficulties with fuel supplies.”