Everything is in place: A boom in family travel awaits Russia

Family travel bookings for the May holidays and summer increased by an average of a third compared to last year, the Association of Travel Aggregators (ATAG) told Izvestia.

Several services have confirmed the growing popularity of trips with children in May and August. So, Ostrovok's family bookings for the May holidays accounted for 27% of all bookings, and for the summer — 37%. The Tutu company reported an increase in such bookings by more than half for the May holidays and 2.6 times for the summer.

According to "Fly.<url>", the level of demand for trips with children and arrivals for the May holidays is almost 43.8% higher than the same figures last year.

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The demand for tours increased by 50-75%

The number of family tourists in Russia is growing in proportion to the overall increase in the number of trips, said ATAG Director Alexander Bragin.

—Moreover, not only parents with young children go on a joint trip, but also families with elderly relatives or, conversely, with young people," he added.

The duration of family trips, he said, is on average one to two days longer than that of single tourists or couples.

Patriotic routes are traditionally popular during the May holidays, and in summer travelers with children prefer beach holidays — for example, the Kaliningrad Region and Dagestan are growing, Georgy Grusha, director of the Department for the Implementation of projects in the field of tourism at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, told Izvestia.

— For tourists with children, points of attraction, amusement parks and water parks are important, the construction of which we support under the national project "Tourism and Hospitality". At the same time, family travelers are increasingly traveling by car, so we are working to increase the number of multifunctional road service areas with cafes and playgrounds," he said.

Family bookings

Among the leaders of foreign destinations in terms of the level of interest for traveling with children on the May holidays in "Fly.<url>" named Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Abkhazia, China, Tunisia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Maldives. Year by year, the interest of family tourists in Egypt, Abkhazia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey has increased by one and a half to two times. The demand for tours to China, Tunisia and Vietnam has also increased significantly.

34% of family flights were booked abroad, Aviasales calculated. Most often, small passengers will fly to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Belarus and the UAE. An average week's vacation abroad is planned, while in Turkey it is planned for nine days.

However, most passengers with children will travel to Russian cities — they accounted for 66% of all family bookings. The most popular domestic destinations are Sochi, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Mineralnye Vody. On average, a trip is booked for five days, while in Sochi they plan to rest for a week.

The Krasnodar Territory has traditionally entered the top of popular destinations, where more than a third of all bookings are made by tourists with children. For example, the share of Gelendzhik family bookings has increased from 15% to 30% for the Tutu service. But Anapa and Vityazevo, which were affected by the fuel oil spill in December 2024, lost guests - the decline in bookings compared to last year was 50% or more, the ATAG added.

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Crimea, Volgograd region, Dagestan, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan are also in demand for May holidays and summer among family tourists. And among the fastest growing destinations, according to the Tutu and Ostrovok services, are the Kaliningrad Region, Stavropol Territory and Karelia.

Volgograd, Yekaterinburg and Omsk are also popular among destinations within Russia for passengers with children, the Kupibilet service added. There is also a demand for tickets to Kazan, Kaliningrad, Grozny, and St. Petersburg.

"The unexpected rapid growth in popularity of previously less sought-after Russian cities indicates a change in market conditions, possibly related to infrastructure development or pricing policy. At the same time, the decline in interest in traditional resorts requires additional analysis," the service believes.

But the growing demand for exotic foreign destinations underscores the willingness of tourists to travel long distances, they added.

Guest houses, villas, campgrounds, glamping

This year, family tourists are prioritizing new destinations and more budget—friendly vacation options, according to ATAG. Therefore, travelers choose not only hotels, but also alternative accommodation facilities — guest houses, villas, campgrounds, glamping. So, according to Yandex Travel, most often family tourists booked apartments, country houses, and three- or four-star hotels for the upcoming May holidays.

There is a critical shortage of hotels in Russia that can offer families with children comfortable accommodation options, said Aleksan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Travel Agencies (ATA).

"For example, to accommodate parents with two or three children in one room, you need to look for options for a long time or negotiate the installation of extra beds," he stressed.

This, he said, forces large families to rent apartments or apartments more often than hotels when traveling. Problems also often arise when buying tickets, especially for trains, the expert noted.

— For example, during the summer season it can be extremely difficult to purchase neighboring places in transport. Especially on trains. It is simply unrealistic to buy tickets for everyone in one compartment," Aleksan Mkrtchyan drew attention.

Therefore, according to him, family tourists are increasingly traveling by car.

On average, a night at a hotel during the May holidays will cost family tourists 7 thousand rubles, according to the Avito Travel service. For the summer, the cost was slightly lower — 6.3 thousand rubles. Mostly during the May holidays, users book a hotel for two days, in the summer — for three.

The average check for family tours to Turkey for the May holidays increased this year by 7.1%, to 199.6 thousand rubles, to Egypt — increased by 6.2%, to 251.3 thousand rubles, in Russia — increased by 8.1%, to 105.2 thousand rubles. But the average check in Thailand, on the contrary, decreased by 22.9% over the year, to 200.3 thousand rubles.