More than 6.4 million Russians are expected to travel abroad this summer, a sharp increase from 5.15 million during the same period last year, Artur Muradyan, vice president of the Russian Tour Operators Association and CEO of Space Travel, said as cited by Nation Thailand.

In May Vietnam Airlines resumed direct services between Hanoi and Moscow after a three-year suspension due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Anex Vietnam, a company that handles tours from Russia, is operating charter flights from 11 Russian cities to Cam Ranh.

It has increased its operations to 50–55 flights per month between April and June, with a further ramp-up to 90–100 from July.

In March the Vietnamese government decided to extend visa waivers until 2028 for citizens of 12 countries, including Russia.

Vietnam is expected to receive 100,000 Russian tourists between June and August, a 140% year-on-year increase, according to Russian news outlet KP.RU.

Thailand, long favored by Russian tourists for its visa-friendly policies, is expected to attract 260,000 of them this summer, up 17% from last year.

Russia was Thailand’s fourth largest source of visitors in the first five months of this year, with 961,000 arrivals.