MOSCOW, 3 June 2024. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the findings of a monitoring survey about Russian summer plans.

Resting not working

Every third Russians plan on taking a vacation this summer (32%, −5 p.p. compared to 2022). Most of Russians prefer to take two weeks of vacation (16%); another duration is rare: one week — 4%, one month — 9%, more than a month — 3% (−3 p.p. compared to 2020). Sixteen percent of Russians are going to have a rest only at weekends this summer; at the same time, the number of those who need no vacation to get relaxed is on the rise (10%, +9 p.p. compared to 2021).

A star summer, stay with me!

This year every second respondent (53%) is going to stay at home. Ove the entire period of measurement, since 2004, this response has been dominant with a record high of 61% during the COVID-19 pandemic followed by a decline, then it has stayed within the range of 51-53%. Another popular answer is to spend summertime at dacha (28%). Previously, VCIOM reported, that every second city dweller had a dacha or a garden plot.

Over the recent twenty years, interest in dacha vacation has been changing. After the 2014-2015 crisis, amidst the Western sanctions and difficulties arranging trips abroad, Russians switched to dachas. Before that time the percentage of those who preferred dachas in summer had been at 18-20% (with an exclusion in 2012 — 25%), whereas in 2016 the share was 35%. Another spike in interest in dachas was observed in 2022 (39%), when the sanctions were toughened, which affected tourism.

Trips across the country are also in top three most popular summer vacations (14%). Interest in domestic tourism during summertime has stayed the same over the recent years (2021-2024 — 13-15%). However, after 2022 the number of Russians who go abroad for summer vacation has declined (2022 — 7%, 2023-2024 — 4%, each). Eleven percent of respondents is going to go to the Caucasus Black Sea coast in summer; another 4% will go to the Crimea.

From Kaliningrad to Vladivostok…

The geography of traveling is vast. Most of those who plan on traveling across the country go north-west (26%). The main north-western destination is St Petersburg (18%); other popular regions and cities are Republic of Karelia (4%), Kaliningrad (3%) and Vyborg.

Nineteen percent of travelers are bound to the central part of Russia, primarily to Moscow and Moscow oblast (11%), less often Tver (2%), Vladimir, Smolensk, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo oblast, Tula, Voronezh. Almost the same number of respondents is eager to go to the Siberian district (18%): Altay (7%), Novosibirsk (4%), Irkutsk (3%), Baikal, Krasnoyarsk (2%, each).

Southbound vacations are popular among 14% of those traveling across Russia: Sochi, Krasnodar krai (3%, each), Rostov-on-Don (2%) and other cities, such as Anapa, Astrakhan, Yeysk. Thirteen percent of respondents opt for Volga district (Nizhny Novgorod — 4%, Kazan, Perm — 3%, each, Udmurt Republic — 2%, Samara). North Caucasus is of interest for 11% (Pyatigorsk — 3%, Stavropol, Nalchik, Essentuki — 2%, each, Dombay, Vladikavkaz). Few respondents choose Ural district (Yekaterinburg — 3%) and Russian Far East (Vladivostok — 2%). Domestic tourism destinations generally correlate with the previous year’s National tourist rating[1].

Make everything in time!

Along with trips to nature (48%, −5 p.p. compared to 2023), Russians plan on connecting with culture, visiting cultural sites (24%, +7 p.p. over the year), landmarks (22%, +4 p.p. over the year), travel by car across different cities (11%), attending big events and activities (9%). Respondents would also like to go to places that offer good cuisine (8%), and religious sites (7%). Another 4% would like to do shopping, participate in excursions to agrarian and industrial sites (3% and 2% respectively). 

This year much more Russians prefer to spend their summertime at dachas (21%, +16 p.p. compared to 2023), but fewer Russians are going to do nothing and just to relax (19%, −11 p.p. compared to 2023). Every tenth respondent (9%, +5 p.p. compared to 2023) is going to work.

Price to pay

According to Russians, the summer vacation expenses have increased (+9%), but not as much as they were rising during the previous two years (+13% in 2022, +20% in 2023). Today the budget per family member is 58,667 rub., which is 4,744 rub. (9%) higher than a year ago.

Men are going to spend more money (67,784 rub.) than women (50,017 rub.); age-wise the maximum amount of money is expected to be spent by Thaw generation (76,441 rub.); the minimum amount, by Zoomers (50,663 rub.).

Why no vacation?

The reason why half of Russians (53%) are going to stay at home is financial difficulties, according to 39% of those who are staying at home. This has been the dominant reason over the entire period of measurement since 2019 (36-53%). Other reasons such as work (13%), other chores (6%), health condition (12%), garden or a desire to stay at home (8%, each) are less common. A further 7% point out small children as the main reason to stay at home; the same percentage of Russians just have no desire to go anywhere, replacing it with household chores (5%).

However, those who plan on staying at home will have a rest using apparently available means — experiencing nature, swimming, sunbathing (49%), relaxing, doing nothing (22%); certain respondents are going to visit cultural sites (19%), places of interest (14%), and to go to dacha (15%).

VCIOM-Sputnik Russian nationwide telephone survey was conducted 18 May, 2024. A total of 1,600 Russians aged 18+ were surveyed. Survey method: telephone interviews, stratified random sample based on a complete list of mobile phone numbers in use in Russia. The data were weighted for socio-demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 2.5%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes to the wording of questions and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.

Key effectiveness indicators, survey of 18 May, 2024: cooperation rate (CR)* = 0.7842; minimum response rate (MRR)** = 0.0117; response rate (RR)*** = 0.1116.  calculations are based on corporate standards: https://profi.wciom.ru/principy_standarty/korporativnyj-standart-po-izmereniyu-rezultativnosti-oprosov-sputnik-vciom/

* CR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews and b) non-interviews with eligible respondents.

** MRR: the number of complete interviews divided by the sum of: а) complete interviews, b) interrupted interviews after successful screening and c) all the respondents where it is unknown whether they meet the selected criteria or not.

 ** RR is calculated in the same way as MRR, with the only difference that the number of respondents with unknown eligibility decreases proportional to the percentage of eligible cases in the total number of respondents with identified eligibility or non-eligibility.

** In 2023 these answer options were not proposed.

* Before 2017, surveys were conducted through household face-to-face interviews (“Express” project); stratified multi-stage quota-based sample; quotas based on socio-demographic parameters, representative of the Russian population aged 18+ by settlement type, sex, gender, education. Sample size, unless otherwise stated, is 1,600 respondents

[1] https://russia-rating.ru/info/22275.html