Russian hotels accommodate 3 mln foreign tourists in Q1-Q3 2024 - deputy PM

MOSCOW. Oct 31 (Interfax) - Three million foreign tourists checked in Russian hotels in January-September 2024, which is 42% more than the year before, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said on Thursday.

"We are pleased by the growing interest of foreign tourists in our country: over 3 million people stayed at Russian hotels, which is 42% more than last year. This proves that Russia is growing popular with travelers from all over the world," Chernyshenko's press service quoted him as saying.

Russia has eased requirements for foreign tourists, Chernyshenko said. For instance, visa-free group trips are available to citizens of Iran and China, and citizens of 52 states may apply for electronic visas.

"Far East regions were leading in terms of growing interest of foreign tourists. The Republic of Yakutia (Sakha), the Amur region, and the Khabarovsk Territory demonstrated the most significant results. Northwestern Russia and Siberia are also among the top three destinations for foreign tourists, with an increase in foreign tourist arrivals by 69% and 63.8%, respectively. In those regions, the leaders are the Republic of Karelia, the Murmansk region, St. Petersburg, the Irkutsk and Tomsk regions, and the Republic of Tuva," he said.

Chernyshenko told Interfax earlier that Russia was hoping for 5 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2024.