Russia Travel: Who’s In, Who’s Out

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Skift Take

The global travel industry is split over doing business in Russia, although the vast majority of companies are abiding by the relevant economic sanctions. Moral outrage, self-interest, and disparate views over harming ordinary Russians are clashing big time.

Dennis Schaal

Airbnb is the latest online player, joining Expedia Group, in announcing it would freeze its business in Russia. Here’s the latest on which non-Russian online travel companies, airlines, tour firms, and car rental agencies are still operating there, and which ones bowed out.

Who’s Out?

  • Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted that the company “is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus.”
  • Expedia Group announced earlier in the week that it “ceased the sale of travel into and out of Russia.” That includes its Vrbo vacation rental brand.
  • Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel announced Friday the company suspended operations in Russia and Belarus.
  • Tripadvisor and its Viator brand are canceling experiences booked in Russia and Belarus, Tripadvisor is blocking attempts to book vacation rentals there, and will halt doing business with Russia-backed tourism boards. Tripadvisor is still accepting advertising from companies offering hotels in Russia and Belarus.
  • Spain’s eDreams Odigeo shut its Russia website February 28, and removed Russia and Belarus airlines from its inventory. eDreams Odigeo stopped offering hotels in Russia March 4 because its hotel supplier, Booking Holdings, suspended operations in Russia and Belarus March 4.
  • GetYourGuide was not showing any results for experiences in Russia, but it was for Belarus.
  • Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport ceased offering distribution services for Aeroflot, meaning travel agents can’t book the airline’s flights. Sabre continues to operate Aeroflot’s Passenger Services System.
  • With sanctions in place, no airlines from the U.S., the European Union or the UK are flying into Russia.
  • Apple, including Apple Pay, stopped doing business in Russia.
  • TUI Group’s Musement and GoTui.com stopped selling things to do in Russia.
  • UEFA Champion’s League cancelled the league’s finals in St. Petersburg
  • Zoom revoked software development licenses in Russia.
  • Boeing suspended aid to Russian airlines, including maintenance, parts and technical support.
  • The Travel Corporation suspended all 2022 tours of Russia or with stops in Russia.
  • Intrepid Travel is still posting Russia trips on its website but the company has cancelled all tours in the country and Ukraine through the end of June. Intrepid’s North America managing director maintains it’s not boycotting Russia and will return to the country when it believes it’s safe to do so.
  • G Adventures removed all Russia tours from its website. Bruce Poon Tip, the company’s founder, said his company wouldn’t accept bookings from Russian agencies. 
  • Kensington Tours still features a trip to Russia on its website, but I read the company is not accepting bookings for trips to Russia.
  • Trafalgar won’t be operating Russia tours in 2022, according to the company. Rick Steves Europe canceled its Russia tours.
  • SmarTours cancelled its Russia itineraries.

Who’s In?

  • Chinese airline and the big Middle Eastern carrier, including Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, and Turkish are operating to and from Russia.
  • Google Travel was taking advertising from hotel chains, independents, and online travel agencies for hotels in Russia. Google was selling partners’ vacation rentals, too.
  • eDreams Odigeo is still offering flights to and from Russia when booked on its sites outside of Russia on non-Russian and non-Belarusian airlines, and when the itineraries don’t violate EU sanctions. Russians in Russia could potentially book these flights if they can find a payment method that works. Russian credit cards, for example, won’t work on the company’s sites.
  • Lastminute.com was selling hotels and car rentals in Russia.
  • MakeMyTrip was selling bookings for hotels, apartments and villas in Russia.
  • Although Tauck cancelled its 2022 Russia tours, its cruise ship intends to make a port call in St. Petersburg after May 30.
  • Many small online travel agencies were offering hotels in Russia, as were a vast number of hotel brands, as well.
  • Avis, Budget, Rentmotors, and Yodo are among the car rental firms still doing business in Russia

Update: A couple of hours after Skift published this story, Booking Holdings announced it is suspending operations in Russia and Belarus. Separately, TUI Group’s Musement and Tuitogo.com brands stopped selling things to do in Russia. eDreams Odigeo has shut operations in Russia and Belarus but enables certain bookings made from outside Russia when it doesn’t violate EU sanctions, for example.

Notes:

— Skift edit staffers Rashaad Jorden, Matt Parsons, Lebawit Lily Girma, Sean O’Neill, and Madhu Unnikrishnan of Skift’s Airline Weekly contributed to this report.

The above lists of companies doing business and not doing business in Russia is exhaustive, and the situation is fluid.

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