Foreign Visitor To Russia Arrivals Up 95%, With Asian Arrivals Dominating

The Russian Union of Travel Industry (RUTI) has said that up to 2.5 million foreigners visited Russia for tourist and business purposes in 2024, 95% more than in 2023.

The RUTI stated that “The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Russia may reach 1.8 million, in addition to about 0.7 million business trips in 2024. The numbers stood at 670,000 and 605,000, respectively, in 2023. Overall foreign arrivals practically doubled. According to the preliminary estimates, at least 720,000 organized tourist trips to Russia were taken in 2024, which is around 30% of the overall tourist and business arrivals in Russia. The e-visa system, which was in effect throughout the year, the final adjustment of all mechanisms of visa-free group tours from China and Iran, and an expansion of air traffic with key markets were important factors of the growth.”

At least 600,000 organized tourist arrivals from China, or 83% of all organized tours, were recorded, it said.

Organized tours to the European part of Russia grew 2.5 times year-on-year in 2024, RUTI Vice President for Inbound Tourism, Intourist General Director Alexander Musikhin said, who added “As expected, most tourists were travelers from China. Arrivals from Middle East states have also grown significantly. The number of served tourists from such states as Saudi Arabia and the UAE have passed the pre-Covid levels. Yet some markets did not meet the expectations. For instance, tourists from India were not as active as expected, which is explained with expensive tickets.”

According to tour operators, most tourists visiting Russia in 2024 came from China, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Armenia, and Uzbekistan.

Foreign tourists mostly traveled to Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Murmansk region, Sochi, Kazan, and the Urals.