Tourism in St. Petersburg

Main article: Tourism in Russia

Chronicle

2024

Tourist flow of the year reached a record 11.6 million people

At the end of December 2024, it became known that St. Petersburg set a new tourist record - in 2024, 11.6 million tourists visited the city, which was 1.1 million more than the pre-pandemic (we are talking about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic) 2019, when the tourist flow was 10.5 million people.

According to TASS, according to the Turbarometer of St. Petersburg, the number of return trips has reached 48% of the total tourist flow. The level of satisfaction with the visit was 86%, which is one of the highest indicators in Russia.

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Yulia Kislova, a member of the expert council of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, said that in 2024 residents of Novgorod and Moscow Novgorod showed the greatest interest in traveling to St. Petersburg. Murmansk regions The top ten regions account for 55% of the domestic tourist flow. The top 10 also included,,, Moscow region,, and Republic of Tatarstan Pskov. Vologda Vladimirskaya Voronezh Samara region

The number of foreign tourists has grown significantly. The share of inbound flow amounted to 7.2%, reaching 840 thousand trips, which is 46% more than in 2023. More than 54% of foreign guests came from non-CIS countries, mainly from China and India. The increase in tourists from neighboring countries amounted to 23%, from far - 73%.

Cultural and educational tourism has become the main goal of travel, reaching a record share of 51.4% of the total tourist flow. Other popular reasons for visiting the city include meetings with friends and relatives, business goals, event and medical tourism. The popularity of short trips for new experiences has also increased.

In 2024, the growth of family tourism continued. If in 2022 the share of family tourists was 51%, then in 2024 this figure exceeded 54%. According to the forecasts of the vice-governor of St. Petersburg Boris Piotrovsky, more than 1.2 million tourists will visit the city during the New Year holidays.^[1]

5-star hotel Villa Mr. Pinky opened in St. Petersburg for 7.5 million euros

In July 2024, a new five-star boutique hotel Villa Mr. Pinky opened in St. Petersburg, the construction cost of which was €7.5 million. The hotel is located in a historic building - the former apartment building of entrepreneur Adalbert Lischke on English Avenue. The project was implemented by the Moscow investment group Placebo/25. Read more here

2023

Tourists brought 483 billion rubles to the economy of St. Petersburg

At the end of 2023, tourists contributed 483 billion rubles to the economy of St. Petersburg. These data were announced on July 2, 2024 at a meeting of the city government, where Governor Alexander Beglov summed up the results of tourist activity in the first half of 2024.

According to TASS, 9.5 million people visited St. Petersburg in 2023, which is 16% more than in 2022. Thanks to this, the contribution of tourism to the city's economy grew by 32%, amounting to 2.1% of gross regional product. The main emphasis in Smolny's tourism strategy was on attracting domestic tourists, which bore fruit.

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Priority areas in the field of tourism were the organization of large-scale event events, the development of a sanatorium-resort complex and the promotion of gastronomic brands of the city. One of the key initiatives was the creation of new tourist products that can attract the attention of both Russian and foreign guests.

Particular attention was paid to projects aimed at popularizing new tourist routes. Thus, the project "New Tourist Geography" allowed guests to see St. Petersburg not only as an open-air museum, but also as a dynamic metropolis with new creative locations. The flagship of this project was the museum-historical park "Island of Forts" in Kronstadt, which was visited by 3.3 million people over the year.

In 2023, St. Petersburg became the first metropolis in Russia to receive two national tourist routes at once: "Petersburg. Peter. From the first stone to the skyscraper "and" St. Petersburg. A new geography. " These routes were highly appreciated by the expert council under the Ministry of Economic Development for the high level of organization and interesting locations.

Tourism also contributed to the creation of new jobs.According to the city administration, every 12th workplace in St. Petersburg is associated with the hospitality industry. The development of tourism contributes to the improvement of urban infrastructure, the creation of public spaces and the development of new territories.^[2]

70% increase in the flow of foreign tourists

The flow of foreign tourists to St. Petersburg in 2023 increased by 70% compared to 2022, which was largely facilitated by the launch of electronic visas in Russia and the opening of a visa-free tourist with China and Iran. The Minister of Economic Development of the RFMaksim Reshetnikov announced this on January 26, 2024, while naming the number of tourists who visited St. Petersburg in 2023.

The minister only noted that in general, the tourist flow to St. Petersburg in 2023 approached the dock-like level (we are talking about the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 which began in February 2022), and the Leningrad region exceeded it back in 2022. The growth of tourism in the agglomeration is ensured by Russian tourists. For example, in the northern capital, their share in two years increased from 63% to 90%, Reshetnikov said at a meeting on the socio-economic development of the St. Petersburg agglomeration, which was held by the president. Russia Vladimir Putin

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According to preliminary data from the St. Petersburg Turbarometer, which were released at the end of 2023, 574.2 thousand foreign guests visited St. Petersburg in 2023 - 68.1% more than in 2022. Of these, 309.6 thousand are tourists from neighboring countries, 262.6 thousand are non-CIS countries.

About 54% of foreign tourists are citizens of neighboring countries. Most often, tourists come from the following countries: Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, China, Iran, Turkey, India, UAE. 87.8% of tourists from non-CIS countries are young active people from 18 to 44 years old. In the near abroad, this figure is 89.7%. 64.2% are women and 35.8% are men. In the near abroad, 61.1% are women and 39.9% are men.

In total, 9.4 million tourists visited St. Petersburg in 2023, which is 16% more than a year earlier. Foreigners accounted for 6.1% of the tourist flow.^[3]

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