Tourism in Russia is on the rise: who has become the key ally for travelers?

In 2022, with the exit of foreign services, the Russian tourism market underwent a significant restructure. By the end of 2024, an important milestone in its development is recorded. The main trend is the ongoing increase in the popularity of domestic online booking services among Russians. For the first time, the service "Yandex.Travels" has become the leader among such platforms, surpassing its main competitor and market veteran "Ostrovok" in the number of hotel bookings. Details are shared by "Russian Newspaper".

2024 has been one of the most active years for Russian tourism. According to the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, in the first 11 months of the year, domestic tourist traffic increased by 11% compared to the same period in 2023, reaching 79.2 million trips. By the end of the year, a record number of tourist trips is expected — around 92 million. This is the highest figure in the history of observations.

The structure of bookings is gradually returning to the level it was before the departure of Booking.com in early 2022. At that time, foreign online services accounted for about 60-80% of all orders. Now, according to data from the TravelLine platform, bookings are already being made through domestic online platforms, with their combined share reaching 58%. Meanwhile, the share of bookings made directly through hotel websites has decreased from 44% to 42% over the year.

Tourists who were already well acquainted with Booking.com and used marketplaces for everyday orders quickly switched to domestic online travel booking services that appeared on the Russian market after 2022.

The high competition among services has ensured attractive offers for users and rapid development of platforms striving to attract as many guests and accommodation providers as possible. The competition among services in the last three years has not only made travel within Russia more convenient but has also contributed to the growing popularity of some lesser-known regions and the emergence of new tourist infrastructure there.

At the same time, not all companies were able to maintain a serious competitive pace. Besides the largest "Yandex.Travels" and "Ostrovok", as well as MTS Travel / Bronevik, which can be considered the third player in terms of booking volumes, other companies in the industry occupy at best 3-5%. According to TravelLine data, the share of Yandex.Travels is 29.2%, Ostrovok 21.5%, followed by Bronevik.com (9.4%), Acase.ru (7.53%), Zabroniryi.ru (6.26%), 101Hotels.com (5.7%), Alean (2.21%), Hotelbook (2.2%), Ozon (2.17%), OneTwoTrip (2.04%), and "Hotels in T-Bank" (1.85%).

The current level of competition in the travel industry can be described as optimal. The market is gradually stabilizing: a circle of leaders has emerged, but mergers, exits of some players, or the rise of new services can still be expected. For example, "Hotels in T-Bank" has made it to the shortlist of tour aggregators. Ultimately, the tourist wins, gaining more choice, convenience, and attractive offers.