Tourism should contribute at least 5% to Russia's GDP by 2030 - PM

GORNO-ALTAYSK. Aug 4 (Interfax) - The tourism industry should contribute at least 5% to Russia's GDP by 2030, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said.

"The contribution made by tourism and the hospitality industry to GDP has been increasing over the last few years. Last year, it exceeded 3%, and it should reach at least 5% by 2030. This is the task which the president has set us," Mishustin said at a meeting on the development of the tourism industry.

He said that tens of millions of trips were currently being made across Russia every day.

"For the first half of this year it was over 43 million [trips], including over 3 million by foreign tourists," Mishustin said.

He said that tourists from 64 countries are currently able to enter Russia via an electronic visa, which has become much easier to obtain. The maximum duration of a tourist's stay on this visa has been practically doubled from the previous 16 days to 30 days, he said.

"There are now significantly more guests from China thanks to the temporary visa-free regime," Mishustin said. He said that this regime had recently been extended to the end of 2027.