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As of mid-2024, Instagram* is still blocked in Russia. This has forced many users and brands to seek alternative ways to access the platform, such as VPN services. Despite this, Instagram* remains an important tool for visual content and promotion, especially among travel bloggers who share their journeys and inspire audiences.
Russian travel bloggers on Instagram* continue to significantly impact their followers with various content formats, including photo reports, videos, stories, and live streams. Trends for 2024 show that videos and interactive formats are becoming more popular, allowing them to engage with audiences more in-depth.
In this article, we analyze the ranking of the leading Russian travel bloggers on Instagram*. We examine their approaches to content, formats used, and current trends.
The most popular bloggers with millions of subscribers are at the top of the ratings. But micro-bloggers and nano-influencers are also growing in popularity. These opinion leaders are in high demand because they engage their users with content and take a more personal approach to their audience. Their advertising, especially on a CPA (cost per action) model, is far more effective than that of celebrities. Social media users trust these influencers more than celebrities. They view them as someone they know and can trust.
Video is the dominant content strategy for travel influencers. Short videos, reels, and live streaming are the most effective formats for bloggers to showcase the beauty of places and convey the atmosphere of travel. Live broadcasts with sightseeing tours, virtual tours, and personal travel narratives immerse audiences in the real-time experience of influencers.
Influencers also share personal stories, tips, and insights, creating unique and memorable narratives. Subscribers value sincerity and openness, making storytelling—even advertising—a powerful tool to influence their decisions.
Here's our ranking of the top travel bloggers on Instagram. We compiled it based on the availability of travel content published by the authors.
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Let's take a look at popular destinations among different categories of travel bloggers and how they use their platforms to advertise.
The first place is taken by the famous Russian TV presenter, producer, and blogger Yana Rudkovskaya with 6 million followers on her account. Yana gained fame in the music industry, particularly as a producer of the renowned Russian performer, Eurovision winner Dima Bilan. Yana is also known for her lavish travels, mostly to the Maldives. Recently, the blogger has discovered a new destination: the Arab Emirates. On Instagram, Yana posts ads about hotels and gives her honest opinion of the best ones.
Yana Rudkovskaya's promotional post about The Ritz-Carlton Maldives hotel
Elena Perminova, a model and an influencer, actively shares photos from her luxury travels in the Arab Emirates and Africa, especially highlighting the best hotels.
Lena Perminova's promotional post about Jumeirah Al Naseem Hotel
Katya is the Best Travel Blogger 2023. The blogger is an expert on luxury hotels, and her content reflects that. Popular destinations are The Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Katya Gorod's promotional post about ASTORIA GRANDE cruise tours
Elena is a renowned Russian travel blogger and influencer. She loves luxury travel and provides her subscribers with unique reviews of luxury hotels, exclusive travel itineraries, and premium services. Her top picks are Turkey, the Philippines, Thailand, the Maldives, Bangkok, and Dubai. The blogger creates native advertising that perfectly aligns with her content and commands the attention of her audience.
Promotional post by Elena Tretyakova about the Thailand Privilege service
Irina was born in Crimea and moved to Zurich in the early 2000s. She calls herself a travel journalist. Her account features photos from Monaco, Madrid, Turkey, Paris, and the Arab Emirates. The author works with many brands.
Promotional post by Irina Cerutti about Maona Monte-Carlo restaurant
Let’s consider bloggers who actively partner with hotels and travel services.
Investor and entrepreneur Alexander is a travel blogger with a huge following. He also runs his own YouTube channel, where he has over 1.5 million subscribers. He is known for his exciting videos about traveling around the world and detailed reports about the places he has visited. He travels all over Russia, Africa, and Asia.
Promotional post by Alexander Kondrashov about Mastercard Kazakhstan multi-currency card
Ksenia's account is filled with bright and atmospheric photos from different parts of the world, including Dubai, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Morocco. Ksenia also actively cooperates with various brands, providing her followers with honest and detailed reviews of travel services and products.
Now Ksenia and her family are actively planning a trip to China and processing visas. We can expect exciting publications from her soon from interesting places in the Celestial Empire.
Ksenia Prokhorova's promotional post about Address Grand Creek Harbour Hotel
Svetlana is a TV presenter and actress. In her account, she describes herself as a dancing travel mom and a travel and lifestyle influencer. Svetlana actively publishes travel content, including reviews of hotels, restaurants, attractions, and travel itineraries. Her publications are often accompanied by useful tips and recommendations for those planning their travels. Her account features only native advertising in which she shares her experiences using various travel services and products.
Svetlana Turilova's promotional post about Domina Coral Bay Hotel
Irina, co-founder of Mosgolfshop.ru and TV presenter, is the undisputed author of the best travel blog in 2023. Popular destinations of the blogger: the Maldives, South Korea, Cuba, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Kola Peninsula.
Irina Belousova's promotional post about Sheraton Maldives Hotel
Zhanna Badoeva, TV presenter and director, travels the globe for the TV show "Life of Others." She also publishes native advertising integrations of services, tour organizers, and professional realtors in a particular country.
Promotional post by Zhanna Badoeva about the travel company Jetwing Travels
Larisa is a finalist for Mrs. Universe-2023 and the winner of the People of the Future award for the best travel blog. She's visited some of the world's most popular destinations, including Sri Lanka, Greece, Bali, the Maldives, and Turkey.
Promotional post by Larisa Filonova about Rixos Premium Tekirova Hotel
Tanya Solovey shares her impressions from traveling to Seychelles, Tbilisi, and Phuket in her account. She reviews hotels in interesting ways that naturally promote them.
Promotional post by Tanya Solovey about the hotel Hilton Seychelles Labriz
Her account is full of bright and picturesque photos from different parts of the world, which convey the beauty and atmosphere of traveling.
Sasha has visited 60 countries and she is an ambassador for Aviasales. Some of the blogger's favorite destinations include Sri Lanka, Montenegro, Mexico, the Maldives, Bali, Dubai, Rome, Prague, Paris, Barcelona, Warsaw, and a cruise from Argentina through the Falkland Islands to Antarctica.
Natalia is a tour guide and realtor based in Turkey. In her account, she talks about life in Turkey, sharing her impressions of the local culture, sights, and lifestyle. The posts often include useful tips for tourists, making her account a great source of information for anyone planning a trip to this country.
Natalia also promotes local businesses, such as restaurants, and services like Yandex Travel.
It's not always necessary to spend a lot of money on travel. In this section, we'll talk about bloggers who specialize in budget travel and discounts.
Svoim Xodom is a popular Russian travel blog run by married couple Vitalik and Liza. Bloggers share their tips on how to travel on a budget, where to find the best deals, and budget itineraries in different countries around the world.
Their page includes video reports, photo galleries, personal stories, and impressions of the places they've visited.
They often visit Southeast Asia. Also, they’ve been to Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, as well as Laos. They check out the beaches, rainforests, local villages, and cultural attractions of these countries.
Vitaly and Lisa also work with lots of different brands and travel companies, sharing honest and detailed reviews of the services and products they use on their travels.
Promotional post about Teras Angsana Velavaru Maldives brand
Alena is an experienced traveler and has started her travel club for her subscribers. In the club she shares info on how to get ready for a trip, calculate the budget, what apps to download, and buy good airline tickets. Some of the club content is free, and some (as guides) is sold separately, for example, a guide to Vietnam. She visited Turkey, India, the Maldives, the Arab Emirates, Bangkok, France, and Italy.
Vietnam guide by Alena Taskaeva
Her blog is all about China. Diya is head over heels for this country and she's eager to share everything she knows about the local culture, stores, and lifestyle of the Chinese. Diya suggests places to have a budget lunch and try delicious Chinese tea.
Diya's brand promotion post 茶颜悦色
Dasha and Alexander are microbloggers who talk about budget travel to Turkey, India, Argentina, Australia, and Cyprus. The couple also runs their own YouTube channel, which has 419,000 subscribers.
Brands can reach people who don't follow specialized travel blogs but are interested in other topics by using native advertising on non-travel bloggers. Take, for instance, the case of a travel agency or hotel that gets some attention by having a popular TV presenter, like Ksenia Sobchak or Anna Vyalova, talk about it in their account. It could be a way to get people interested in travel for the first time who may never have thought to do it, just because they find the content compelling and unobtrusive.
Advertising post by entrepreneur Anna Vyalova about Castival Hotel
Bloggers have a lot of influence over their readers, who often trust their recommendations more than traditional advertising.
For instance, a well-known stylist blogger can show how to rent a comfortable and stylish hotel room that looks natural and doesn't cause rejection.
Promotional post by stylist Lolita Lazarenko about Hôtel Le Negresco hotel
Bloggers like this can really drive sales and conversions because their audience is often willing to follow recommendations. This is especially effective if the ads are accompanied by promo codes, discounts, or exclusive offers for subscribers.
Russian-speaking travel bloggers on Instagram* are still inspiring new journeys, helping their followers find the best places to stay, save money on travel, and enjoy luxury resorts. Successful influencers' accounts cover everything from hotel reviews to stories about discounts and budget itineraries. Even native advertising from popular bloggers who don't focus on travel can be a great way to promote travel brands.
Do you have questions about promoting your travel brand? Just fill out the form in the contacts to get in touch with the RMAA team right away.
You can also get a more detailed look at influencer marketing in Russia and the CIS by downloading our White Paper. And if you want to be the first to know about the latest marketing news in Russia, just subscribe to our blog.
*Meta Platforms Inc. project, the activities of which are banned in Russia.
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About the Author
Digital Strategist. Head of one of the project groups at RMAA. Maria started her journey in digital marketing in 2009.
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