Routes are being built: almost half of travelers this summer are autotourists
This summer, the share of autotourists will be almost half of all travelers in Russia. Compared to last year, it should grow to 43%, the Ministry of Economic Development predicts. And according to surveys, car trips are planned at the level of last year. About how the authorities stimulate the development of autotourism and what formats of such recreation are becoming popular, see the Izvestia article.
How many autotourists will there be
The share of Russian tourists who travel by car should reach 43% in the summer of 2025, Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development, told Izvestia. Last year, there were 38% of such travelers.
"Studies of the preferences of Russian tourists regularly record an increase in the popularity of car trips," he said. — Together with the regions, we have created more than 93 ready-made tour routes for this category.
The Minister recalled that measures to support automobile routes are included in the national project "Tourism and Hospitality". In particular, this is a program for the creation of modular hotels and non-capital infrastructure facilities.
— And in these measures, projects related to the development of automobile tourism are highlighted as priorities, — said Maxim Reshetnikov. — Separately, we are working with the Ministry of Transport of Russia to repair roads as part of routes, with the Ministry of Finance — to develop communication on roads, with the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Natural Resources — to equip tourist facilities with the necessary infrastructure.
Sergey Romashkin, ATOR Vice President and CEO of the Dolphin tour operator, previously predicted that by 2030 the share of motorists in domestic destinations would grow to 70%. However, according to his estimates, already in 2024, about half of tourists used private transport for tourist purposes on average.
Today, the car has indeed become the main mode of transport by which Russians plan to travel this summer, according to a study by the National Priorities NGO (the survey was conducted by the NAFI analytical center). 38% of respondents said they plan to travel by car, 29% plan to travel by train, and 21% chose airplanes.
12% of respondents plan to make short trips close to home. The same number of people intend to visit Crimea. 8% want to go to St. Petersburg. The same proportion of those who plan a compound trip to Russia.
The study shows that Russians have become more likely to split up the classic two-week vacation, said Sofia Malyavina, Director General of the National Priorities NGO.
— Modern tourists prefer to relax in the summer several times, choosing short trips — the so-called weekend trips. This is confirmed by the statistics of the national travel portal "Traveling.Russia": the corresponding heading on it has become one of the most popular along with car routes, she said. — The portal offers more than 200 options for short trips in almost all regions of the country.
Autotourism is one of the fastest growing segments of domestic tourism, confirmed the head of the Dom project.All around" by Anna Maximova.
— Over the past year alone, the number of caravanners (traveling enthusiasts living in motor homes or trailers) has increased by about 20%. In 2024, there were about 24-29.5 thousand motorhome owners, and by May 2025, there were already 33 thousand. According to forecasts, by 2030 the number of car tourists may double and reach 44 million people, she said.
According to the project, about 28% of Russians travel by private car. Motorhomes and trailers are used by about 3% of all motorists.
How much does autotourism cost?
More than a third of the respondents plan to spend 51-100 thousand rubles on trips, the study notes.
Almost 40% of respondents choose travel along ecological trails as a format, 33% will go on trips and walks on author's tours, 26% intend to engage in creative tourism (educational tours, active recreation and learning new skills), and 18% of travelers are interested in gastronomic trips.
The modern tourist, including those traveling independently by car, is now focused on individual travel, Dmitry Anfinogenov, executive director of the Association of Operators of the Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry (AIRIS), told Izvestia.
"By the end of 2024, the share of author tours reached about 30% of all sightseeing bookings in Russia, and the average check increased by 46.5%," he said. — This season, the demand for personalized author's trips is projected to grow to 70% of the total number of bookings. Top preferences include retreats, ethnic tours, and trips whose routes are created using artificial intelligence and Big Data.
The expert noted that event tourism is also strengthening its position: in order to get to an event, tourists are ready to adjust their vacation plans or go on a spontaneous trip.
— The incentive to make a decision here is a multi—layered calendar of events within one trip: sports and music festivals, major concerts, gastronomic shows, - said the expert.
And Anna Maksimova said that expedition vacation formats, trips to remote regions, caravanning, and family routes with stops at campsites are actively gaining popularity.
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