Surprising: Russians choose Hungary in growing numbers!
The popularity of Hungary and the Philippines increased the most among the Russian holidaymakers, who spend much more money during their stay than before.
Russians like Hungary
Based on the analysis of OneTwoTrip, Russian news outlets wrote that the number of Russian holiday bookings abroad has increased by 26% since 2023. Mandiner wrote that Russian media outlets were surprised to find that Hungary and the Philippines are among the most popular destinations for the increasing number of Russian holidaymakers. Compared to 2023, the number of Russian travellers to these two countries quadrupled.
Based on statistics, Greek, Japanese, French, Portuguese and Vietnamese destinations are also popular. According to an expert asked by Kommersant, the reasons are the new flight routes like Hungarian Wizz Air’s direct flights from Kutaisi to Budapest, Rome, Athens, Milan, and Lárnaka.
Based on the analyses, an average Russian trip lasts 12 days in Hungary. Moreover, they spend 35% more money here than in 2023. Meanwhile, the average inflation in Hungary was “only” 17.6% in 2023, so it seems welcoming Russian guests is profitable in Hungary.
Russian tourists disappeared due to EU sanctions
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the following EU sanctions, Russian tourists almost disappeared from Hungary. We wrote in May 2023 that it was difficult for Russian tourists to come to Hungary because the EU banned all Russian airlines and private planes from its airspace in 2022.
”The direct flight between Budapest and Moscow has stopped, you can only get here by taking very long detours. Recently, tourists mainly come to us from Buaku and Istanbul. But they can also come via Dubai, Belgrade and Astana,” explained tour guide Júlia Sarlai, one of the leaders of the Association of Hungarian Tour Guides.
Read also:
- Wizz Air launches “All You Can Fly” pass: Unlimited flights with some fine print – read more HERE
- Unexpected: Russia may build a third nuclear power plant in Hungary by 2035!
Featured image: depositphotos.com
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