Moscow and its suburbs were the tourism hub of Russia both before and after the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Below, we will focus on some of the most significant challenges tourists may face in Russia during the war, and then propose several proven solutions to overcome these challenges.

Some believe that tourism in Russia has been severely affected by the Ukraine war, which began in February 2022. While this is partly true, Russia was significantly affected, especially in early 2022, due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic and the outbreak of the war. However, it began to gradually recover in late 2024, especially with the easing of the war and the end of precautionary measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area, and it is one of the countries that tourists should include on their travel plans. When we talk about tourism in Russia, we must specify which region we are referring to. Russia's lands are far-flung and vast, with diverse climates and ethnicities. Therefore, the country should not be combined into one trip.

Travel difficulties

Inability to transfer funds via banks outside Russia: Transferring funds to Russia has become more difficult due to international sanctions and financial restrictions imposed after Russia's war on Ukraine. Many traditional banking channels, particularly those relying on the SWIFT system, have been affected, limiting the possibility of direct bank transfers.

SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) is a globally recognized system used for secure financial transactions between banks. Each bank assigns a unique code to ensure that transfers reach the recipient accurately. Many Russian banks were cut off from the SWIFT network as part of international sanctions following the outbreak of the war, making it difficult or impossible to process international money transfers to and from these banks via SWIFT.

This factor directly impacts tourism in Russia, particularly at the level of travel agencies that send or receive tourist groups to Russia. Inability to use foreign bank cards for withdrawals or purchases: Tourists cannot use a foreign ATM card or credit card, other than Russian, to withdraw cash or make purchases in Russia. This makes daily financial transactions difficult and puts tourists in a serious predicament if they run out of cash. They cannot withdraw cash from an ATM under any circumstances, even if they have a large balance.

Inability to book hotels through popular global sites like Booking and AirB&B: This difficult problem will be the first to arise when planning a trip to Russia after international sanctions were imposed on it following its war with Ukraine. In March 2022, Booking announced the suspension of all its services in Russia, preventing users from booking hotels there through the platform before or after their stay in Russia. This difficulty is one of the most important obstacles to mention, as Booking is the world's most popular hotel booking site due to its wide range of prices and options.

In March 2022, the most popular apartment booking site, AirB&B, also announced the suspension of its services in Russia, making it difficult for many tourists to easily find accommodation options in the country.

The most popular transportation app is "Uber": One of the most important apps used by tourists around the world for easy transportation and relied upon extensively, this app unfortunately doesn't work in Russia. Many travelers rely on this app from their first arrival at the airport to managing their daily movements. Many forgo the idea of ​​hiring a private car or even a driver and instead rely on this app for its ease, safety, quick driver response, and competitive prices.

Social media apps like Facebook and Instagram don't work: This may not be a major obstacle for ordinary people, but it remains an insurmountable obstacle for content creators and celebrities whose work relies on posting daily videos and photos, whether about travel or other daily content.

6. Foreign SIM cards work with great difficulty: Sometimes, the network is completely cut off in some areas for those using non-Russian SIM cards, which operate on SIM cards in their home countries after roaming is enabled. Even if roaming is enabled, and even if a tourist has a strong internet package in their home country or another, this doesn't mean it will work well in Russia.

7. Most important Russian phone apps only work with a Russian SIM card: From personal experience, I activated the highest international SIM card package for my mobile phone to use in Russia. Despite the weak network, the SIM card worked somewhat for communications and the internet. However, what never worked were the important Russian phone apps that provide transportation services, maps, and food delivery, which I desperately needed, as these apps rely entirely on Russian SIM cards.

8. Absence of most well-known international fashion, clothing, and restaurant brands: Many international clothing and fashion brands closed their branches in Russia after the Ukrainian war, such as Adidas, Nike, and Zara, as well as the most famous international restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Starbucks, and Burger King.
The absence of these brands affects tourists who love well-known brands and are interested in shopping, especially women. However, those who care about product quality will find alternatives in Russia for almost everything, as we will discuss later.

9. The number of flights to Russia has decreased, especially from Europe and the United States: After Russia launched its war on Ukraine, the aviation sector witnessed significant changes that impacted flights to Russia. Several Western countries imposed bans on flights to and from Russia. Additionally, Russia banned flights from several European countries, impacting international air traffic. These measures reshaped the global aviation map, forcing airlines to adjust their routes to avoid restricted airspace, increasing the duration and cost of many flights.
 

10. The geolocation feature in WhatsApp is inaccurate: Due to Russian interference with the American GPS system for security reasons, this system in WhatsApp does not work accurately, and sometimes does not work at all. This has a significant impact on the daily lives of tourists, as sharing location has become one of the most important things that people use daily, especially when traveling.

Obstacle alternative

1- Maintain a sufficient dollar reserve: To overcome the problem of not being able to transfer funds from foreign banks to Russian banks, you should take a sufficient amount of dollars when traveling to Russia and convert them to Russian rubles upon arrival. If, in the worst case scenario, your dollar reserves run out, you can transfer the amount of money you need to use in Russia (for example, 1,000 Qatari riyals) from your bank account in Qatar to the account of an intermediary who has a bank account in Qatar and also lives in Russia, and of course, also has a local bank account in Russia.

This intermediary will withdraw the equivalent of 1,000 Qatari riyals ($274) from his Russian account and give it to you after deducting his commission. However, we do not recommend relying on this method unless it is reliable. In this case, the intermediary will charge a large commission, which may reach 25% of the original amount.

2- Open a local bank account: If you have a large amount of cash and are afraid of it being lost or stolen, you should take a sufficient amount of dollars and convert it into Russian currency upon arrival. Then, go to a local bank to open an account and obtain an ATM card that will enable you to make purchases within Russia only.

If you have more money saved in the account upon returning home, you can withdraw it in dollars, taking into account the exchange rate and bank commission.

3- Accommodation: To solve the problem of booking accommodation in Russia, you have the following options: First, contact hotels directly via email or phone, or contact Russian tourism companies to book your hotel. Second, use alternative Russian websites to book hotels and hotel apartments, such as Zenhotels or Ostrovok.

4- Alternative Apps: The most important and indispensable alternative apps are: Yandex GO, an alternative to Uber for transportation; Yandex Maps, an alternative to Google Maps; and Yandex Eats for food delivery. All of these apps operate efficiently and in a manner similar to globally popular apps.

5- Use a strong VPN: To use popular global social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, you should use a VPN to circumvent website blocking. However, this feature doesn't always work effectively.

6- Purchase a Russian SIM card: When traveling to Russia, it will be necessary to rely on international SIM card packages activated in the home country, and to purchase a local SIM card for use in communications, the internet, and smartphone applications.

7- Restaurants and clothing stores: From food delivery apps to restaurants, cafes, and clothing stores, you'll find a Russian alternative to almost every Western brand, and they're of high quality and sometimes even superior to international brands.