Turkey's Mediterranean coast, with its shimmering azure waters, secluded coves and golden sands, is a destination beloved by Russian tourists, nearly 5 million of whom visited last year.

But many visitors currently on holiday in the region now fear they will be unable to return home because of extensive Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Restrictions on card payments and flight operations have also raised fears of a slump in Russian tourism to Turkey, a key source of revenues for Ankara.

Holidaymaker Margarita Sabatnikaya, 31, said her vacation plans have been thrown into doubt and fears being stranded.

"We have come here for a holiday with our children. It's unclear when we'll return to Russia, by which plane," she said.

Sabatnikaya said that she wanted to continue her holiday but her bank cards had stopped working.

"It's unclear how to stay here and how to survive," she said.

While flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) says flights to and from Russia will "continue for the moment," budget carrier Pegasus has suspended its services leaving its customers desperate to rebook elsewhere.

Dozens of Western countries have banned Russian planes from their airspace while some carriers operating flights to Russia have had their insurance policies canceled.

Some Turkish holiday operators have cited the impact of Western sanctions when canceling the plans of their Russian clients.

U.S. card giants MasterCard and Visa have suspended their Russian operations, although Russian cardholders in Turkey are able to access their funds through Russia's homegrown payments system Mir.

"We heard the company that brought us here stopped flights but I am not sure," said Russian tourist Anton Gavrilov, 34.

"Of course, I had a little bit of cash but if I'd like to pay with my card I don't know if it will be possible for me," he added having swapped the icy Moscow winter for Turkey's sun-kissed Mediterranean coast.

'Very serious'

The conflict could have an impact on Turkey's crucial tourism industry as Russians and Ukrainians are the country’s first and third biggest respective sources of visitors, based on the Culture and Tourism Ministry data.

But it will depend on how long sanctions on Russia are enforced, industry experts say. There is also a chance that Russians fleeing their homeland could offset some of the losses, they say.

Russians accounted for 19% of foreign visitors to Turkey in 2021, with 4.7 million people, while Ukraine was the third-largest source of tourists at 8.3% with 2.1 million people.

They accounted for 27.34% of the total 24.7 million foreign tourists that arrived throughout the year. The share jumped from 24.55% in 2020 and 19% in 2019.

The government was hoping for a post-COVID-19 rebound this year, with a target of almost $35 billion in total tourism revenues, back at pre-pandemic levels.

A worst-case scenario could see tourism revenues from the two countries fall $5 billion-$6 billion in 2022, industry representatives have said.

NATO member Turkey, which shares a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, has good relations with both countries.

It has called Russia’s invasion unacceptable and has ramped up efforts to undertake a facilitator role to find a solution to the conflict.

'Don't know what to do'

Holidaymaker Gavrilov said he fears this holiday will be his last as sanctions have caused the ruble to reach an all-time low against the dollar.

"It will be really hard to afford a trip for the family," he said.

Hoteliers in Turkey's resorts have been left guessing how many Russian guests will pull out of their bookings, although there has not yet been a wave of cancelations.

Russian tourists who paid a deposit for holiday packages may not now be able to afford to pay the difference after the ruble slumped in value.

Western restrictions on flights to and from Russia have pushed up airfares for the countries that continue to have services to Russia, like Turkey.

Typical ticket prices have jumped from 180 euros ($197) to 400 euros.

One Russian family told AFP they paid 900 euros for a one-way ticket from Russia to Antalya on a "low-cost" airline.

Anastasia Zanolotnaya, 27, a diving instructor living in Antalya for four years, said many Russians who came to Turkey for holidays were now stranded.

"I have two Russian friends who are staying with me right now. They cannot get back because (plane tickets) are very expensive," she said.

Ukrainian tourists are also affected.

"We came for holiday in early February, now (me and my family) cannot go back," said Olga, who declined to give her surname.

"We should have returned just two days after the war. No flight now. We have a small amount of money now. We don't know what to do."