Issyk-Kul topped the top 10 resorts of the former USSR for summer vacations of Russians.
The Russian online booking service Oktogo.ru identified the most popular resort destinations for summer vacations of Russian tourists in the CIS countries and the post-Soviet space. The ranking of resorts was compiled based on booking data for summer 2014.
The ranking included resorts where a week-long summer vacation, including accommodation, meals, and excursions, would cost Russians no more than 25,000 rubles and located no more than three hours away from the capitals of the respective countries.
According to the resource, the top 10 summer resorts of the former USSR for Russians traveling independently include:
1. Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan);
2. Lake Borovoe (Kazakhstan);
3. Lake Naroch (Belarus);
4. Gagra (Black Sea, Abkhazia);
5. Khudat (Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan);
6. Jurmala (Riga Bay, Latvia);
7. Lake Sevan (Armenia);
8. Palanga (Baltic Sea, Lithuania);
9. Batumi (Black Sea, Georgia);
10. Vadul lui Vodă (Dniester, Moldova).
As noted by Oktogo.ru, Issyk-Kul attracts tourists with its "crystal clear water, sandy beaches, excursions to mountain waterfalls and pastures, bathing in radon baths, and fresh apricots."
