Russian Lawmaker Urges Travel Industry to Avoid Price Gouging as Global Tensions Shrink Options

A senior Russian lawmaker has issued a direct appeal to the country's tourism sector: do not exploit current global instability to artificially inflate prices for domestic vacations. Sangadzhi Tarbaev, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism, warned that ongoing military conflicts and closed airspaces are severely limiting foreign travel options for Russian tourists.

The government has already advised against travel to several Middle Eastern nations—including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—which were key transit hubs for flights to popular destinations like Thailand, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. Tarbaev stated this will inevitably redirect tourist flows and provide a significant boost to Russia's domestic tourism market.

'Russians can confidently book trips for summer, fall, and the New Year holidays if they want a vacation without the risk of complications from the foreign policy situation,' Tarbaev noted. He then called on industry businesses not to use the sudden drop in outbound competition to impose sharp price hikes driven solely by increased demand.

He stressed that such moves would be a short-sighted market error, not a response to inflation or rising costs. 'The current situation is another opportunity to make a leap forward in domestic tourism,' Tarbaev concluded, framing the moment as a test for the industry's long-term planning. The call comes as analysts predict reduced outbound travel and higher costs for remaining international routes due to the ongoing regional crisis.