How Russian tourists' preferences are changing: apartments, prices and booking timelines

Growing popularity of apartments

Since the start of the year, booking‑data services have spotted a clear shift toward renting flats and serviced apartments. In the first half of 2026, orders placed through travel agents rose by more than ten percent, while direct bookings grew by eight. The share of this format in the total volume of organised trips climbed from twelve to fourteen percent.

The sharpest growth appears in regions with a strong domestic tourism base – Mari El, Leningrad Oblast, Murmansk Oblast, as well as Bashkortostan and Tatarstan. There, apartments can make up to forty percent of all orders. For independent travellers the share already tops twenty‑five percent, whereas non‑starred hotels hold only about seventeen.

Why apartments? The main advantages are obvious: more space, a kitchen, and the chance to split costs among several people. At the same time the per‑person price often ends up lower than in a hotel of comparable level. When tourists keep a close eye on the budget, those perks become decisive.

Falling average spend on accommodation

At the same time the surge in apartment demand coincides with a general dip in nightly rates. According to a major online platform, the average price for a stay during the "velvet" season (September‑October) dropped roughly nine percent. Today travellers pay around six thousand roubles per night, whereas a year ago the figure was closer to six thousand eight hundred.

The most noticeable decline shows up in the premium segment – five‑star hotel rates fell by almost twenty percent. In the three‑star category the cut was twelve percent, and in non‑rated hotels eleven. The only outlier is the two‑star segment, where the average check rose by five percent.

Among accommodation types, the biggest price drops are seen in country‑side hotels (about seventeen percent), hostels (sixteen percent) and guest houses (twelve percent). Apartments also got cheaper, but only by seven percent. Sanatoriums are the sole segment where prices went up – roughly ten percent.

A platform expert notes that the decline is less about aggressive pricing and more about changing traveller behaviour: people are opting for cheaper categories more often and digging deeper for good deals within their chosen segment.

When are tickets bought?

The old advice "book early – it’s cheaper" no longer works the way it used to. An analysis of over two hundred thousand airline bookings for the summer seasons of 2025‑2026 shows that most Russians purchase tickets one to four weeks before departure.

For domestic flights the horizon is even shorter: almost sixty percent of purchases happen within the last seven days before the flight, the remaining forty percent are made earlier. On international routes the picture shifts a bit outward: nearly fifty percent of tickets are bought a month or more in advance, yet the share of "last‑week" purchases is also climbing – from sixty‑four to sixty‑eight percent over the year.

This pattern points to a gradual decision‑making process: first the destination and dates are chosen, then prices are watched, and only after that the purchase is locked in. It isn’t a last‑minute scramble for "hot" tickets, but a conscious choice made within a two‑ to four‑week window.

What travellers should keep in mind

• Budget apartments – a solid option for families and groups, especially in regions where they already dominate the order book.
• Seasonal pricing – during the upcoming velvet season hotel rates, even in the premium tier, will be lower than last year. If comfort matters, compare offers inside the same category.
• Ticket‑buying timing – the main market impulse concentrates in the last two weeks before departure. Watch price dynamics then, but don’t postpone visas and insurance, as those need time.
• Flexibility – if you can shift dates by a week, you may snag good deals on both accommodation and flights.

How tour operators are reacting

Travel agencies are already reshaping their strategies. On domestic routes they are moving the focus from early‑season advertising to retaining the client in the final weeks before departure, offering extra services (transfer, insurance) precisely at that moment. On international routes the sales window stays longer, allowing cross‑product offers to be presented well in advance.

In short, Russia’s internal tourism market shows two intertwined trends: a rise in demand for larger, more economical apartments and a drop in the average nightly spend, plus a shift toward a shorter booking horizon for air tickets. For travellers this opens up savings without sacrificing comfort, and for businesses it creates space to adapt offers to new client habits.

Based on materials from: trn-news.ru.