Russian tourists give up. The sunny island hindered their travels

Cyprus – an island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean is a direction for Poles to City Break and Holidays. We appreciate its sandy beaches, tasty cuisine and a mix of cultures, which connect, among others Greek and Turkish influences. In 2024, Cyprus visited a record number of Poles (337,000 people), which placed us in third place after the UK and Israel citizens. This summer, tourists can feel a change there.

Fewer and fewer Russians in Cyprus

There will be less tourists from Russia in Cyprus than before. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Russians have encountered many obstacles in organizing a vacation on the island of Aphrodite on a full scale. The declines are visible. PAP reports that before 2022, the island was one of the Russians’ favorite directions on vacation. In the record 2017 she visited her 825 thousand tourists from this country, In 2021 – almost 600,000, while in 2023 this number fell to just 60,000. Last year, a slight reflection was recorded (65,000 tourists from this country).

The obstacle is above all the lack of direct connections to the island and visa difficulties – in December last year the procedures were tightened. You have to apply for her at least 15 days before the journey and attach many documents, including Extracts from the Social Fund of Russia. Currently, the Russians can only get to Cyprus with a change in Yerevan, Istanbul, Dosze or Dubai. This problem is not with flights to Turkey and Egypt.

New favorite directions of Russians

Obstacles related to war mean that the Russians are looking for new holiday opportunities. Travel and World Tour reported that this year, the new leader of growth in this group of tourists is Vietnam. This summer, this Asian country will visit by 140 percent. Russians more than in 2024 – it is possible that it can be from half a million to a million tourists. This is due to the resumption of charter flights from Russia to this country. Vietnam, known for his neutral foreign policy, has never condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine. On March 17, the first group of tourists at the Cam Ranh airport was welcomed by a water salute and a lion dance.

The popularity of the Chinese island of Hajnan is also growing dynamically. In 2023 it was visited by 16,000 Russians, and a year later 178.5 thousand, which means as much as eleven times. “South China Morning Post” reported that in the resort of Sanya in the south Hajnan Russian can be heard more often than English.