Tourism in Moscow

• Moscow Tourism Committee
• Tourism in Russia
• Economy of Moscow

Chronicle

2024

Tourist flow of Chinese to Moscow reached 429 thousand people

China has become the leader among non-CIS countries in terms of the number of tourists who visited Moscow in 2024. According to the press service of Mosturism, the flow of travelers from China amounted to 429 thousand people, which is a significant share of the total number of foreign guests of the Russian capital.

According to TASS, 2.7 million foreign tourists visited Moscow in 2024. The leading group in terms of the volume of travelers included representatives of the CIS countries, the Middle East, China and India. Individual tourists from China and Middle Eastern states are showing growing interest in the Russian capital.

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Фото: Unsplash

In addition to foreigners, a significant flow of tourists to Moscow was provided by residents of other regions of Russia - 23.3 million people. A third of the internal tourist flow falls on the subjects of the Central Federal District, another 17-18% - on guests from St. Petersburg, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Krasnodar Territory, Tatarstan and the Sverdlovsk Region.

In general, the total number of tourists who visited Moscow in 2024 reached a record 26 million people, which is 3% higher than in 2019, which was considered the most successful for the global tourism industry before the pandemic.

The key objects of tourist interest in Moscow remain the historical center, landscaped park areas, VDNKh, as well as major festivals and international business events. These locations and events contribute to a steady influx of tourists, forming a positive dynamics of attendance in the capital.

Business tourism also plays a significant role in the overall tourist flow. Every fourth guest from Russian regions and every eighth foreigner came to Moscow for business purposes. The total turnover of the tourism industry amounted to ₽1,6 trillion.

To accommodate the growing number of tourists, the city's infrastructure continues to expand. In 2024, 11 new hotels opened in Moscow for more than 1.2 thousand rooms. In 2024, the average occupancy rate of hotels of categories 3, 4 and 5 stars was 78%, and during periods of large-scale events this figure exceeded 90%.^[1]

Tourist flow growth by 5% to 20.97 million people

In February 2025, Rosstat published data on the tourist flow in the Russian Federation. From statistics it follows that Moscow remains the most popular city and region among tourists. Tourist flow to the capital increased from 19.8 million trips in 2023 to 20.97 million (+ 5%).

The largest number of tourists from non-CIS countries visited Moscow from China, India, Turkey, Iran and the UAE. According to Evgeny Kozlov, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Mayor and Government of Moscow, Chairman of the Moscow Tourism Committee, the flow of tourists from the UAE showed particular growth. Before the pandemic, this country was not in the top 20 countries in terms of the number of tourists, but in 2024 it took fifth place.

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Фото: Unsplash

The number of tourists from the UAE has doubled compared to the pre-pandemic period (we are talking about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which began in early 2020). Also among the countries that showed significant growth were Saudi Arabia (7.7 times increase in flow), Kuwait (10 times increase) and Qatar (3 times increase).

The press service of Mosturism told TASS that in general there is a change in the behavior of travelers from China, the Middle East and business tourists. The main changes are an increase in the average check, length of stay, as well as the level of return and willingness to recommend Moscow to friends. These indicators depend on factors such as satisfaction levels, travel experiences and overall experience of stay.

As Olga Nechaeva, head of the program-targeted planning department of Mostourism, explained, qualitative changes in the structure of the tourist flow are associated with Moscow's efforts to promote the image of the city as an all-season resort. One of the key factors is the program of urban events. In response to the global trend of interest in local culture, Moscow is actively developing festivals such as Moscow Estates and Moscow Tea Party, which help spread knowledge about the cultural values ​ ​ of the capital among tourists.

Moscow tourism market reached ₽1,5 trillion in a year

Moscow Mayor's Office at the end of January 2025 presented data on the growth of the tourism industry of the capital, the volume of which exceeded ₽1,5 trillion in 2024, while revenues to the city budget amounted to ₽210 billion.

As Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin writes in his blog, digitalization has made a significant contribution to the development of the tourism industry. The online service RUSSPASS has become a key tool for promoting tourism, providing opportunities from finding routes to buying tickets.

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Фото: Unsplash

The introduction of virtual and augmented reality technologies in museums and other tourist sites increased attendance by about 30%. City event projects also demonstrated high popularity: "Summer in Moscow" attracted 38 million guests, and "Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030 "- 12 million visitors in 2024.

The festival "Estates of Moscow" gathered more than 700 thousand people, which confirms the growing interest in the cultural and historical sights of the city. Particular attention is paid to the development of intergenerational tourism, combining active recreation for children and comfortable pastime for the older generation.

Business tourism is actively developing in the capital, which, according to forecasts, will more than double by 2030 and reach 8 million people a year. This will be facilitated by the opening of a new EXPO complex at VDNKh.

New points of attraction are being created, including museum expositions at VDNKh: an exhibition of the Tretyakov Gallery in the Central pavilion and an exposition by Leo Tolstoy. War and peace. Revived pages "in the pavilion" Centrosoyuz. "

For the convenience of tourists, digital services have been developed that allow you to quickly book hotels, restaurants and purchase tickets to cultural institutions. The improvement of urban spaces, parks and recreational areas also contributes to an increase in tourist flow.^[2]

2023

Moscow's tourism revenues for the year increased by 48% and reached ₽178 billion

The tourism industry brought ₽178 billion to the Moscow budget at the end of 2023, which is 48% higher than in 2022. This was announced in 2024 by the head of the tourism committee of the capital, Evgeny Kozlov.

According to Interfax, the total tourist flow to the capital amounted to 24.5 million people, almost reaching the indicators of pre-pandemic 2019. Of these, 22.2 million were citizens of Russia, which is a record indicator of domestic tourism.

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Фото: Unsplash

The funds received from the tourism industry are equivalent to the cost of building 70 new schools or purchasing a large batch of electric buses, "said Evgeny Kozlov.

The chairman Moscow City Duma Alexey Shaposhnikov said that the foreign tourist flow reached 2.3 million people. The main foreign guests were tourists from,, China,, Turkey, and India. Iran UAE Kuwait Qatar

The New Year's season of 2023-2024 showed especially high results - more than 4.3 million tourists visited the capital during the holidays. Hotel occupancy at this time exceeded 90%.

According to the Moscow City Duma Commission on Economic and Social Policy, gastronomic routes, cultural events and excursion programs are the most popular among tourists.

For the convenience of city guests, the Russpass digital service is working, which was used by more than 1.5 million people on New Year's holidays. The platform provides information about events, the work of skating rinks and the poster of city parks.

Moscow has repeatedly won the international World Travel Awards. In 2019 and 2020, the capital of Russia received an award in the nomination "The best tourist destination. City, "ahead of New York, Paris and London, and in 2021 was recognized as the best city for short trips and historical studies^[3][4]

Business tourism growth by 7% to 3.47 million people

In 2023, 3.47 million business tourists visited Moscow, which is 7% more than the previous year. Such data were provided by the head of the capital's tourism committee Evgeny Kozlov in April 2024.

According to him, Russian business tourists spent on average 16% more in Moscow than people who came to the city to visit their friends or relatives. The average check of foreign business guests turned out to be 1.3 times higher compared to 2022.

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Фото: Unsplash

Evgeny Kozlov, the largest business tourist flow to Moscow in 2023 was recorded from China and the Middle East. According to a representative of Mostourism, Chinese tourists prefer a cultural vacation in Moscow, while business guests from the Middle East prefer gastronomy.

Evgeny Kozlov pointed out the importance of business tourism from the point of view of the economy, since this focuses on many related industries: from the hotel sector to the entertainment industry. Moreover, this is a source of age-related tourists, because about 40% of business guests return to the capital to relax with their family.

The head of the Moscow Tourism Committee noted that for business events in the capital by April 2024 there are over 150 non-standard locations, including museums, parks, theaters and others. Thus, in 2023, as part of the introductory screenings of Mostourism, industry representatives and corporate customers examined 13 such locations.

Kozlov added that in 2024 a new format of meetings in unusual locations will be launched - "Moscow Living Rooms," within which guests will be able to see in practice the work of the site and learn about useful projects of the capital's government. The first meeting will take place on April 16 at the Moscow Planetarium, where representatives of the Moscow Department of Culture will speak, summed up the chairman of Mostourism.^[5]

Tourism in Moscow increased by 22% compared to pre-pandemic 2019

Tourism in Moscow at the end of 2023 increased by 22% compared to 2019, when there was no COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, due to which tourist flows sharply decreased around the world. This was announced on January 8, 2024 by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

The global tourism business is still recovering from the pandemic. For Moscow, 2019 was a record year in terms of domestic tourist flow. But in 2023, we received 22% more guests, - wrote the mayor of the capital in his Telegram channel.

Tourism in Moscow at the end of 2023 increased by 22% compared to 2019

According to him, this result was achieved due to the constant improvement of urban infrastructure and focus on global trends.

The message on the website of the mayor and the government of Moscow specifies that the business tourism segment remains at the level of 20% in the domestic market, while the number of business trips in 2023 increased by 28% compared to 2022.

The capital held three major tourism conferences in 2023. Together, more than a thousand guests took part in them - representatives of the Russian and foreign hospitality industries, organizers of congress and exhibition events, experts in the field of business, industrial, educational and other types of tourism.

Thanks to the developed infrastructure and original thematic projects, Moscow received the status of "Capital of Children's Tourism - 2024." According to a survey of residents of 10 regions, from where travelers most often come to Moscow, a quarter of them visit the city precisely in order to show the capital to their children, according to a message on the website of the mayor and the government of Moscow.

In addition, tourists are attracted by the choice and variety of cuisine, this is an important factor in preparing for travel. For international tourists, the cost of restaurants and catering is 34%, for Russian travelers they occupy the second place after shopping. Every fourth tourist from the regions of the Russian Federation visits a popular Moscow restaurant or bar.^[6]

2022: Revenue growth by 22.7% to RUB 879.1 billion

Tourism revenues in Moscow in 2022 reached 879.1 billion rubles, which is 22.7% more than a year earlier. The city budget from this industry received 120.4 billion rubles. Metropolitan Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote about this on February 15, 2023 in his blog.

According to him, domestic tourism remains the driver of the development of the tourism industry - more than 90% of tourists come to Moscow from other regions. Most often these are residents, St. Petersburg,, and Krasnodar Territory Vladimirskaya. Tula Nizhny Novgorod regions On average, 37.3 thousand rubles are spent on a trip to the capital. In the business tourism segment in 2022, the growth was 6% compared to 2019. The share of medical tourism has grown to 5.4% of all trips - twice as much as in 2021.

In 2022, 17.9 million tourists visited Moscow, which is 1 million more people than a year earlier, but less in comparison with the pre-pandemic (pandemic) COVID-19 in 2019, when the tourist flow in the capital was measured by 25.1 million guests. The number of tourists among children in 2022 amounted to 3.8 million.

As Sobyanin noted, in 2022 "the emphasis was shifted from anti-crisis to stimulating support measures." The city allocated 350 million rubles to support the tourism industry. These funds went to compensate the organizers of business and youth events and the tourism development program among citizens over 55 years old.

The organizers of conferences, congresses, scientific forums and cultural events for young people received access to grants of up to 10 million rubles each. Thanks to this, more than 20 thousand people attended 61 business events in Moscow. 7.2 thousand guests who came for business purposes stayed in hotels, and the turnover of tourist consumption amounted to 470 million rubles, the mayor summed up, summing up the results of 2022.[7]

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