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2025
A river shipping company is launched in the Perm Territory. State-owned company created
In the Perm Territory, the Perm River Shipping Company JSC was created to develop river traffic and restore the region's shipping fleet. The corresponding entry is entered in the register of legal entities. The decree on the creation of the company was signed by Governor Dmitry Makhonin on November 13, 2025. This was reported by the press service of the regional government on December 11, 2025. Read more here.
Barguzin cruise ship launched in Irkutsk
In Irkutsk, the Barguzin cruise ship was launched at the East Siberian River Shipping Company shipyard, but the procedure was accompanied by an incident - the ship was hit by a tugboat aft. The cruise ship is 87 meters long and 14.5 meters wide and is designed to accommodate 50 passengers and 44 crew members. The descent took place on July 11, 2025. Read more here.
USC launched the cruise ship "Nikolai Zharkov"
The United Shipbuilding Corporation held a launch ceremony for the four-deck cruise ship Nikolai Zharkov at the Krasnoye Sormovo plant in Nizhny Novgorod. The event took place in mid-July 2025 as part of the state program to renew the domestic river fleet. Read more here.
2024
Growth of tourist flow on river cruises in Russia by 20% to 500 thousand people
The number of tourists who chose river cruises in Russia increased by 20% in 2024 compared to 2023 and amounted to 500 thousand people. This is evidenced by the data of Rosmorrechflot, which became known in August 2025.
Those interviewed by Kommersant predict a further increase in passenger traffic by 5-10% by the end of 2025. Over a five-year period, the flow of tourists on river cruises has doubled. Starting in 2020, the annual increase in cruise tourists averages 15%. At the same time, the share of river cruises in the total structure of domestic tourism does not exceed 1%, which indicates a significant potential for the development of the segment.
Ilya Sukhovolsky, Deputy General Director for Development of Vodokhod, noted that the average occupancy rate of flights is 85% in all five classes of cruise fleet ships. Demand for cruises in 2025 remains at the level of the previous year, despite initial concerns about low water due to a snowless winter.
Andrei Mikhailovsky, General Director of the Infoflot cruise center, stressed that the lack of snow did not affect navigation thanks to heavy rains in 2025. According to him, the water was consumed carefully and was enough for both power engineers and the river fleet.
The river cruise segment demonstrates high customer loyalty rates. According to operators, about 70% of tourists return to this recreation format again. This is one of the highest indicators in the Russian tourism market.
The cruise holiday audience is gradually getting younger. Over the past few years, the average age of the target group has decreased by about five years - from 55 + to 50 + years. Increasingly, cruises are being booked by couples as young as 35, taking the segment beyond the traditional notion of "retirement " tourism[1]
The Russian market for sea and river cruises for the year increased to 420 thousand trips
The Russian market for sea and river cruises in 2024 reached 420 thousand trips. This is evidenced by the data of the Center for Strategic Research (CSR), which were released in March 2025.
 | In Russia, the popularity of autotourism and hiking, river, sea and railway cruises is growing, the CSR report says. - Tourists began to travel more actively around the country. Many go to Dagestan, where you can combine a beach vacation on the Caspian Sea with the opportunity to see ancient cities and climb mountains, as well as go to the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic coast, Primorsky Territory or choose Sakhalin or Kamchatka. Another point of attraction is Baikal. |  |
The Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported that the flow of tourists as part of river cruises in 2024 increased by 15%. As noted in the organization, unlike 2023 in 2024, tourists more actively booked autumn cruises and more often traveled to other regions to go on a cruise. The market for corporate events on board ships has also revived.
Vodokhod, the largest player in the cruise market, recorded 155,235 guests in 2024 against 148,019 in 2023. GAMA reports 28,393 tourists, which is also 15% more than in the previous season. Mosturflot saw an increase of 20%, and tour operator FUN&SUN - by 30%.
Experts note that in 2024 the increase of 15% is more significant than in 2023, when an increase of 20% was achieved due to an increase in the number of ships, which actually "eroded" demand and did not lead to a significant improvement in loading. In 2024, the loading situation was much more effective.
According to the Moscow Department of Transport, more than 370 thousand cruise passengers left the capital in 2024, which is 15% more than in 2023.[2]
The world's first software platform for cruise ships was presented in Russia
Russia In presented the world's first software platform for cruise ships. At least this is how they position their product called "KruBISS" in the company SmartTurboTech"." More. here
2023
Tourist flow growth by 20% to 750 thousand passengers
The river cruise season of 2023 in Russia showed an increase in tourist flow by 20% compared to 2022. Such data in May 2024 leads the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.
According to her, about 750 thousand Russian tourists took part in the navigation in 2023. While in 2022, 600 thousand people made river cruises.
Industry officials also rate the past 2023 season as successful. On average, the loading of cruise ships amounted to 75-85%, and in the peak summer months reached 90%.
The increase in demand for domestic tourism, including river cruises, is due to limited air traffic with foreign countries. For example, the Dolphin tour operator in 2022 increased cruise sales by 25%, and in 2023 - by another 20%.
| | For our company, we estimate annual revenue growth at about 17%, - confirmed the head of the commission of the Russian Union of Travel Industry for Cruise Tourism Alexei Rastegaev. | |
Moscow "Vodokhod" in 2023 served 138 thousand cruise tourists, which is 14% more than a year ago.
According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, the greatest demand among travelers was for three to four-day weekend river cruises, including from Moscow to the cities of the Golden Ring. In second place in popularity are weekly routes between the two capitals. The third place was taken by 4-7-day cruises on the Volga ring.
| | The cost of a weekly river cruise in 2023 began from 7 thousand rubles per person per day in an inexpensive segment and reached 20 thousand rubles in premium. At the same time, experts predict the inevitable rise in price of cruises in the 2024 season by 15-20% due to rising prices for fuel, food and excursions on routes, the Association noted. | |
Commissioning of a record number of ships
About 100 cruise ships entered navigation for the 2023 season in Russia, which is a record figure. This was announced in early June 2023 by the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT).
By the summer of 2023, river cruise operators offer dozens of routes on them at various prices - from 5.7 thousand rubles per person for a two-day weekend cruise to almost 900 thousand rubles for an expeditionary route along the Yenisei.
Alexey Rastegaev, chairman of the cruise commission of the Russian Union of Travel Industry PCT, director of the Volgograd company Cruise, believes that the demand for cruises in 2023 will grow by 10-12% due to the addition of an audience in 2023 thanks to the tourist cashback program.
According to the PCT expert, the general director of the cruise aggregator Infoflot, Andrei Mikhailovsky, weekend cruises are most in demand among tourists. In second place in terms of mass and popularity - cruises MoscowSt. Petersburg-. The third place is occupied by 4-5-day cruises in the cities of the Golden Ring, along the Upper Volga, saturated with excursions. Also in the top five are longer routes along the Lower Volga.
Ilya Sukhovolsky, deputy general director of Vodokhod, said that the company brought 24 motor ships and one high-speed hovercraft Biryusa on Lake Baikal to the rivers in 2023. This is five more ships than in the summer of 2022. According to him, the company plans to transport about 140 thousand tourists in 2023, which will allow it to approach pre-pandemic (we are talking about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic) indicators.
According to the PCT expert, deputy director of the operator Svetlana Goncharova, tourists are increasingly taking not a full cruise, but more affordable "halves" - from Moscow to St. Petersburg or back. Tatarstan is in second place, Solovetsky Islands is in third place, where few flights are placed due to the short season.[3]
Notes
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