MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. The flow of foreign tourists to Russia will increase by 95% by the end of 2024 compared to 2023 and amount to about 2.5 million trips, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) announced.
“By 2024, the total number of foreigners visiting Russia for tourism and business purposes could grow to an estimated 2.5 million, which is 95% more than the previous year,” the report said.
In particular, the number of tourist trips to Russia could reach 1.8 million, while the number of business trips could reach about 0.7 million. In 2023, these were 670,000 and 605,000 visits respectively.
Experts attribute the increase to factors such as the introduction of an e-visa regime, the refinement of mechanisms for visa-free group travel from China and Iran, as well as the broadening of air traffic to include key markets.
According to a preliminary estimate of ATOR’s analytical service, the volume of organized tourist traffic to Russia is expected to reach at least 720,000 trips in 2024, or about 30% of the total number of entries for tourism and business purposes.
Tourists from China accounted for about 83% of tourist traffic (about 600,000). The number of travelers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Southeast Asian countries entering Russia for individual and group trips has increased significantly.
The main countries from which organized tourists entered the European part of Russia in 2024 were China (60%), the UAE (15%), the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) (10%) , Southeast Asia Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam) (6%), India (5%), Iran (2%) and other countries (Turkey, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Armenia, Uzbekistan) (2%).
Tour operators note that the flow of tourists from the UAE and other Arab countries of the Persian Gulf has recovered most dynamically. The most popular destinations in Russia for organized foreign tourists in 2024 were Moscow (50% of tourist flow), Saint Petersburg (25%), Murmansk region (10%), Moscow region (5%), Sochi (3%) , Tatarstan, the Urals and other regions (7% in total).
ATOR Executive Director Maya Lomidze believes that encouraging factors for inbound tourism could be the solution to the problem of cash payments for foreigners in Russia, expanding the list of countries for obtaining an e-visa and direct flights to a number of Arab countries, and the optimization of customs inspection and passport control procedures.