Russian tourism to Europe is rebounding despite the Ukraine war, heightened security concerns and the EU’s restrictive visa regime, including the suspension of direct flights. Although numbers are down roughly 90% from pre-pandemic 2019 levels, official Schengen statistics show that Russian travel to the EU increased not only in applications but also in approvals in 2024. In 2024, Russians submitted 606,594 visa applications, up 16.6% year-on-year. At the same time, refusal rates fell from 10.6% in 2023 to 7.5% in 2024. This translated into 552,629 Schengen visas approved in 2024, marking an increase of just over 20% from 2023. In other words, more Russians applied, and a higher share succeeded in securing a Schengen visa.
This rebound has occurred despite higher flight costs and longer journey times. With direct connections between Russia and the EU still suspended, travellers have adapted by routing through third countries such as Turkey, Serbia or the United Arab Emirates to reach Schengen destinations. Although these indirect routes are typically more expensive, low-cost airlines have adjusted to the rerouting and continue to offer relatively competitive fares, for example, on connections from Moscow to Paris via transit hubs like Istanbul. At the same time, visa procedures have become costlier. Higher Schengen application fees meant Russian residents spent €48,527,520 on applications in 2024, of which €3,590,800 was effectively lost on rejected cases. Yet demand has remained resilient. Tourism representatives attribute this to improved economic conditions and rising disposable incomes, while industry insiders note that visa issuance stabilised in 2024, with many EU and associated countries still granting visas to Russian travellers.
Demand remains driven by sustained interest in classic European destinations, as reflected in booking data. In early 2025, hotel reservations from Russia for the spring–summer season rose by around 33% year-on-year in Italy, 65% in Spain and 45% in France. In 2024, Italy recorded the highest number of visa applications from Russian residents, followed by France, Spain, Greece and Hungary. By contrast, EU states bordering Russia, including Finland and Poland, issued only limited numbers of visas, reflecting stricter security considerations.
The EU has steadily tightened visa rules for Russians as part of its security response. In September 2022, the EU fully suspended its 2011 visa facilitation agreement with Russia. This raised visa fees from €35 to €80 and introduced additional paperwork and longer processing times. In the same period, the European Commission issued guidelines asking member-state consulates to “deprioritise non-essential travel” by Russians, meaning tourist and leisure visas are given very low priority. Consulates were told they could take up to 45 days, instead of 15, to decide on Russian visa applications and request additional documents for scrutiny.
On 7 November 2025, the Commission went further by issuing implementing rules to ban routine multiple-entry Schengen visas for Russian citizens. Under the new rules, almost all Russian applicants must get only single-entry visas, forcing them to apply for each visit afresh. Only a few “low risk” categories, such as close family of EU residents and professional transport workers, are exempt under certain conditions. Notably, the Commission decision is officially advisory, and in practice, many EU embassies had already been issuing few multi-entry visas for Russians. Industry experts argue the measure will have minimal impact on tourist flows, since consulates were already granting only one-time visas in most cases.
Most recently, in January 2026, the European Commission adopted a first-ever EU Visa Strategy, explicitly linking visa policy to security and foreign policy objectives. The strategy proposes concrete measures to leverage visa policy to promote the EU’s strategic interests and bolster its security framework. This includes potential targeted restrictive visa measures to suspend, refuse, or restrict visa applications in response to hostile actions by third countries, such as Russia, that undermine EU security, as part of a future legislative proposal to revise the Visa Code. In an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment, this would allow the EU to better respond to cases of hybrid attacks, information manipulation and interference, the politically motivated instrumentalisation of migrants, the weaponisation of migration, and open acts of aggression. It would enhance the Union’s strategic autonomy and coherence, aligning visa policy more closely with the objectives of the EU’s common foreign and security policy. In short, the strategy gives Brussels greater flexibility to tighten visa access for Russians at short notice, potentially making tourist flows more conditional and less predictable.
In conclusion, Russians have resumed seeking EU holidays when they can afford them, while the EU is tightening its visa system in response to security concerns. However, so far, the effect on tourist numbers seems limited. The restriction on multi-entry visas is unlikely to affect tourist flows, as visa-issuing officials have issued virtually none for the past two years. Observers note that most Russian tourists flying into Europe in 2024 did so with freshly issued short-term visas. In short, demand rather than policy remains the main driver of travel. Russian tourism to Europe is likely to persist, but under a tighter and more conditional visa regime increasingly shaped by geopolitics.
