Instead of Crimea, Sakhalin: Russian tourist preferences for summer 2025

Since Russians did not like the military atmosphere in Crimea, high prices, and conflicts with locals, they began to choose domestic tourism for the summer season of 2025: Kamchatka, Sakhalin, etc.

According to Holos Kryma, the demand for domestic tourism among Russians has increased by 60% compared to last year.

"The leaders for the summer period are Kamchatka, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Altai, and Karelia. The increase is about 30%, and this is despite the fact that the average check per person has grown by about 23%," the media quotes the executive director of a Russian travel agency.

In addition, Russians are choosing cheaper hotels.

"Instead of the usual five stars, they choose more economical accommodation options, and instead of ten-day vacations, they choose seven-day vacations," the report says.

Russians also travel by night trains to save on hotels:

"We have started traveling by train more often. These are tours where we combine travel and sightseeing in one tour. Such tours are more affordable because tourists spend their night time on trains."

Earlier, according to Crimean realtors, up to half of the newly arrived "residents" of Crimea now want to get rid of their property on the peninsula: either sell their homes or rent them out and leave.

According to one realtor, people came to live by the sea, eat fruit and enjoy the sun. But they could not stand the air raids, the explosions, and the presence of the military at every turn. Military equipment, inspections, silence in the evening - it came as a shock to many.

Since the outbreak of full-scale war, Crimea has increasingly resembled a military zone: convoys of vehicles move along the roads, patrols are constantly present in cities, and document checks are widespread. Frequent drone attacks and explosions make people afraid, especially children who panic during air raids. According to local realtors, all this has become a significant factor in why many Russians are trying to leave the peninsula.

At the same time, Crimea is being turned into a testing ground for ideological pressure on children. The educational system is completely subordinated to Russian propaganda: school textbooks deny the existence of Ukraine. Children from the age of three are involved in programs such as the Eagles of Russia, and from the age of 12 - in the pseudo-military Unarmy, which is funded by the Russian budget.

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