Travelers from Russia curbed their spending abroad by 30 percent in 2015 compared to the previous year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Domestic tourism has seen a 20 percent increase.
Russians spent $35 billion on accommodation, food, entertainment, shopping and service last year, making them the sixth highest spenders. In 2014 they spent 50.3 billion.
Chinese tourists still top the list, spending $292 billion last year, 25 percent more than in 2014.
The US was ranked second with American travelers spending $120 billion abroad. Germans spent $76 billion, Britons – $63 billion and French tourists rounded up the top five with $38 billion spend abroad.
The flow of tourists from Russia shrank 31.1 percent last year with 12.1 million departures, according to the Russian statistics bureau Rosstat.
The decline in the number of tourists from Russia is explained by the weakening of the domestic currency as well as the ban on flights to the most popular destinations – Turkey and Egypt.