Foreigners made nearly 3 million tourist trips to Russia in first half of 2026. That’s the worst showing in five years.

Fewer tourists visited Russia in the first half of this year. Meduza reports that foreigners made two point nine nine million trips to Russia between January and June — down nineteen point six percent compared to the same months last year and the worst first-half showing since twenty twenty-one. Tour operators attribute the decline to flight disruptions from the Middle East conflict, negative Russian news coverage of fuel shortages and airport chaos, and elevated travel costs. China remains the largest source of tourism, accounting for just over half of all arrivals.

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