Russian-speaking outbound travel is surging across Asia, with Yandex Ads targeting a market of 125 million potential travellers.
Sergey Ustinov, General Manager for APAC at Yandex Ads, said the key challenge for Asian travel brands is not only awareness or booking conversion, but the undecided middle stage where travellers compare destinations. Many brands lose visibility when Russian-speaking travellers are still choosing between two or three places.
“What they’re missing out on is all the people in between, where people may be unsure, they’re choosing between two or three different destinations, and they have not made up their mind where they’re going to go,” Ustinov said.
Russian travellers have a different discovery path from other source markets because decisions involve destination, travel length and companions, from family holidays to couples or solo trips. “Russians, unlike some other countries, take about 28 days to make their decision in terms of their travel,” Ustinov said.
That longer planning cycle requires visibility across multiple touchpoints. Ustinov said the journey usually starts with search, before travellers move to maps apps or OTA platforms for deeper research. Yandex holds over 70% search market share in Russia, making search visibility an early requirement for destinations seeking to reach this audience.
A smart Russia entry strategy should therefore begin before the booking stage. Ustinov said destinations need to appear in search, then provide more detailed information on culture, history, culinary offerings and travel experiences.
At the lower funnel, he pointed to Yandex Travel as a localised platform with over 28 million users per month.
Family travel is also changing the market. In summer 2025, every fifth booking included children, Ustinov said. Asian destinations and hotels should adapt family packages, child-friendly activities, accommodation messaging and travel content.
Without stronger mid-funnel visibility, they risk losing Russian-speaking demand before travellers reach booking.