Tour operators presented a list of the most popular destinations for sea cruises among Russians, as reported by ATOR.

Photo: Openverse

Interest in cruises continues to grow, and this year the number of tourists choosing sea voyages has exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2019. For example, Pac Group reported that 45,000 clients went on cruises four years ago, and this year this figure reached 55 thousand. The forecast for next year assumes about 70 thousand travelers.

Despite the fact that some international cruise companies have refused to provide services to Russian tourists, the largest of them, MSC Cruises, continues to accept all passengers without discrimination.

The most popular sea destination for Russian tourists was the Persian Gulf, which was chosen by almost half of travelers. A third of tourists choose cruises on the Mediterranean Sea, and in third place in popularity is Red Sea cruises.

Besides the Russians, on sea cruises there is an increase in the share of tourists from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Georgia. One of the important factors remains the relative stability of prices for cruises, which have remained virtually unchanged over the past few years, market participants note.