In the first half of 2019, tour operators recorded a seven-fold increase in sales of tours to Sri Lanka, compared with the same period last year, Yelena Sutormina, head of the Civic Chamber Commission on public diplomacy, humanitarian cooperation and maintenance of traditional values, said at a news conference on where Russians spent their vacations шт 2019 at Parlamentskaya Gazeta on September 3.
“Turkey was the most popular foreign destination for holiday-makers this year; 2.6 mio Russians visited it in the first half of 2019. Abkhazia was second with 1.8 mio, followed by Finland with 1.6 mio tourists from Russia, Kazakhstan (1.3 mio), China (1 mio), Estonia (840K) and Thailand (654K),” Yelena Sutormina said.
Sri Lanka unexpectedly enjoyed an increased interest from Russian tourists, as tour operators recorded a seven-fold rise in sales compared to last year, she pointed out adding that domestic destinations also enjoyed demand: 18 mio people spent their vacations in the Krasnodar Territory – some operators reported a 20%-25% growth in sales.
“Moscow, St. Petersburg and Mineralnye Vody in the Stavropol Territory also enjoyed popularity this summer,” the expert added.