There are some reports from travel companies that some destinations have seen fewer outbound bookings but it is really hard to measure the full impact at this point.
This is the first time for Russia to host such an event and many Russians ended up following the games even though they didn't really plan for it (especially with Russia reaching the quarter finals).
The FIFA World Cup has undoubtedly brought a lot of tourists to Russia which has contributed in a significant increase in flight prices as well as some issues with flight tickets availability. Consequently, this increase has affected the prices of the packages and the outbound tourism. This trend is most likely to continue throughout the summer season as Russia benefited from a large PR of the destination.
For now, one of the largest Russian tour operators, Natalie Tours, made a public announcement in early July 2018 about their financial difficulties and cancelled all booked package tours until end of September. The decrease in the outbound travel because of the FIFA World Cup is the primary cause of Natalie Tours' financial issues as advised by the President of the company.
