ATOR: UAE ranked second most popular in Russian outbound tourism in 2022

The United Arab Emirates became the second most popular country for Russian outbound tourism in 2022, most visits Russian travelers made to Dubai, according to a report of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR).

“UAE became the second most visited country after Turkey by Russian tourists in 2022. A total of about 1.1 million Russians spent their holidays here, two-thirds of them – in Dubai”, – said the association. They specified that Dubai in 2022 received 758 thousand tourists from the Russian Federation.

“The Russian market took the fifth line in the overall ranking of suppliers of tourists to Dubai at the end of the year. Compared to 2021, Russia has lost several positions in the ranking, previously ranked third, but the flow of tourists in absolute numbers has almost doubled. In 2021 444 thousand tourists from Russia visited Dubai”, – added ATOR.

ATOR told that the tourist flow to Abu Dhabi from Russia in 2022 was three times more than in 2021, and only seven percent behind the level of the pre-pandemic 2019. In total, the emirate hosted 74,000 guests from our country in 2022. Ras al-Khaimah last year was visited by a record 107 thousand Russian tourists. This is almost 20 percent more than in pre-pandemic 2019, and 40 percent more than in 2021.

Experts predict that the UAE will remain one of the top tourist destinations for Russians this year, but the primacy will still remain with Turkey. “Most likely, the UAE will be in second place again by the end of 2023. It is still difficult for Thailand with its volume of transportation to compete with the Emirates in the winter season, “- said the vice president of ATOR Artur Muradyan.

At the same time the expert forecasts that tour operators in 2023 will keep summer traffic volume to the UAE in general, and some will even increase it compared to pre-pandemic indicators. In his opinion, the growth of tourist traffic in all emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, will continue, while Dubai will remain the leader for business and leisure travel.