Skift Take
Russia’s recent advances have been driven by strategic marketing efforts and visa exemptions.
Saniya Zampure
As summer travel picks up, a surprising trend is emerging: tourism is on the rise in Russia, according to the latest Skift Travel Health Index for June 2024. Despite the ongoing war, the country’s tourism in June 2024 was 12 percentage points higher than May 2024. The index is 103, indicating a 3 percentage point increase over June 2023.
The Russian government is actively promoting tourism through campaigns such as the “Discover Russia” campaign at major international expos. Early results have been positive, with foreign tourist arrivals increasing 1.5 times year-on-year since the beginning of 2024. Russia is also on the brink of implementing visa-free travel for Indians, similar to deals with China and Iran. The visa-free initiative is expected to increase Indian tourist arrivals to Moscow by up to 30%.
Airline seat capacity is on track to grow, but is expected to be 12% below pre-pandemic levels by June 2024, according to OAG data.
Read our latest June 2024 highlights for further insights into this market.
Russia continues its strategic efforts and plans to attract 9.5 million foreign tourists this year, but this does not mean that Russia’s tourism industry has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, which remain at around 79% of 2019 levels.
For more travel insights, check out our latest report and Travel Health Index dashboard.
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