comment: >
  
  all those people failing from windows... strong winds not good for vacations
context: I'm surprised 10% still went to Russia. >
  
  I think it likely that a vast majority of those 10% were during the almost two months of 2022 prior to the invasion. >
  
  Would this 10% primarily be tourists from "friendly to Russia" countries such as Eritrea, Iran, Venezuela, etc? >
  
  Couldn't tell ya.
  Plenty of people have been to Russia, and I'm sure many more would be willing to visit a country with a bad rep in the West, than a country maintaining an outright invasion. 
  I'd assume that, before the invasion, the proportion of Russia-"friendly" and Russia-"non-friendly" tourists would be the same as it has always been. After the invasion, I'd go out on a limb and guess that "friendlies" became a greater majority. >
  
  I don't know. Obviously it's anecdotal and I'm sure Russia is not all like that, but my only direct knowledge of tourism to Russia is that of my best friend's dad in the early 2000s.
  Basically he landed, got a taxi, and like 10 minutes later a guy at the traffic light with a gun mugged him and got all of his belongings, including his passport.
  Basically his holiday was: land - 10 minutes taxi ride - - gun to the head - 30 more minutes to the embassy to get help - fly back the next day.
  I might be wrong but that immediately put Russia at the bottom of my wish list. >
  
  Traveled through about a decade ago — got robbed on the street and by Russian officials at a small airport who meticulously went through our belongings, taking anything they deemed “culturally significant” and threatening us with arrest for having bought mittens from a Russian vendor at a Russian Christmas market. Constantly followed by “taxis” trying to get us into their unmarked vehicles.. y’know, to give us a super special Americans-only discount guided tour, not to traffic us or use us as collateral or anything. 
  I will not be returning. Can’t wait to visit a victorious Ukraine, though! >
  
  
  not to traffic us or use us as collateral or anything.
  
  Yes definitely not, if you genuinely believe that's what some random Russian pirate taxis wanted from you in ~2010 you need to see a shrink about your paranoia. TBH even the being robbed by Russian officials on the street part sounds like complete BS. >
  
  Ooh someone’s fussy >
  
  Wouldn't say I fit anything here, if you mean the first definition I'm not irrated, I'm just calling out complete BS when I see it. >
  
  Cool! >
  
  The reports that Wagner group is trying to coerce African exchange students into fighting for Putin in Ukraine. Russia's already demonstrated a willingness to incarcerate American citizens and use them as political pawns. You'd have to be an idiot to travel over there now, especially if you are citizen of the United States or any other NATO member country.
  The world is a big place with a ton of other countries to visit, full of governments and people that would welcome your money and treat you with at least some level of respect. Go where you will be treated best. >
  
  This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 59%. (I'm a bot)
  
  
  The number of foreigners visiting Russia as part of an organized tour plummeted by more than 90% during 2022 as the country's international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine kept most travelers away, the Kommersant business daily reported on Tuesday.
  Sergei Romashkin, the head of Russian tour operator Delfin, which estimated the 90% drop in organized tour arrivals, said that the industry is hampered by Russia's negative image, the ban on the use of Visa and Mastercard in the country, as well as Russia's own restrictive visa regime.
  Many tour operators have shifted from inbound tourism to organizing domestic tours in Moscow and St. Petersburg, according to Kommersant.
  
  
  Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: Russia^#1 tour^#2 organized^#3 tourism^#4 industry^#5 >
  
  Lol domestic tours. I read fluent Russian and their memes about “internal tourism” are hilarious. Basically it’s orders of magnitude cheaper to fly to an Egyptian all-inclusive beach resort than to get trapped on some mildly radioactive tour bus limping its way through Russia’s “Golden Circle” of decrepit monasteries with zero amenities. >
  
  Tell me more about the Egyptian resorts. >
  
  Sharm el Sheikh. They also go to Turkish beaches often. They used to also go to Cancun + Punta Cana, but airspace restrictions quickly killed that. >
  
  What about their "Buy one week, get 12 years free" deal? >
  
  Guaranteed weight loss program >
  
  My wife and I had visited Vladivostok when we were in the Navy and were planning on going back when we revisited the West-Pac as civilians.  
  But I wouldn't go to Russian now if you paid me.  
  No interest in supporting them, and honestly had  pretty low interest in going back the more I read. >
  
  Why would one go to Vladivostok willingly? >
  
  What's wrong with it? >
  
  What a shock! >
  
  Said nobody, except maybe Putin >
  
  Why no come to great Russia? >
  
  Not sure. Something about the food