Tourism in Russia
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Tourism in Russia plummeted in 2022. Only 200,100 foreigners visited Russia in 2022, a drop of 96.1% from pre-pandemic/pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine years.[1] Earlier, Russia had seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first domestic tourism and then international tourism as well.[2] Russia had formerly been among the most popular tourist destinations in the world, though it fell off that list in 2022. Not including Crimea, the country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while more are on UNESCO's tentative lists.[3]
Tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the
History
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2023) |
After the
Only 200,100 foreigners visited Russia in 2022, a drop of 96.1 percent from the pre-pandemic period.[1] Most of Europe closed its airspace to Russian planes a few days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.[1] Foreign-issued Visa and Mastercard cards no longer work in Russia, further impacting tourism.[1]
Cultural tourism
Tourist destinations in Russia include Saint Petersburg (which appeared in the list of top visited cities of Europe in 2010) and Moscow, the current and the former capitals of the country, recognized as
Kazan, the capital of
Sakha Republic proposes to use former forced labour camps as a tourist attraction.[7] Poles visit places of Communist crimes, e.g., of the Katyn massacre and Solovetsky Islands.[8][9]
Museums
Russia is home to museums that include the
Museums related to Russia's military history and military hardware include the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill, the Central Naval Museum in St Petersburg, the Battle of Stalingrad Museum in Volgograd.[citation needed] Museums related to science and technology include the Polytechnic Museum of Moscow, and the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics.
The GULAG History Museum tells the story about the
Nature tourism
In Russia, Nature Reserves have history and it has its own word of definition Zapovedniks (
Health tourism
Mineral spa resorts have been established across Russia in such regions as Kamchatka Krai, Altai Krai, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, North Caucasus region of Russia.[12] Some cites have natural hot spring water during winter and some of Russian cities are called Russian Spa town, including Pyatigorsk, Yessentuki, Kislovodsk, Zheleznovodsk and Mineralnye Vody; these towns are jointly known as the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
Russia has one of the largest water borders in world, but only the more Southern regions are suitable for resort tourism. The warm subtropical Black Sea coast of Russia is the site for some seaside resorts such as Sochi and Tuapse.[citation needed]
Winter sport
A vast part of Russian territory is in
Medical tourism
Russia is a destination for medical tourism. A factor in its popularity was the relatively weak ruble
Religious tourism
Religious tourism has two main subtypes: pilgrimage, as travel done for religious or spiritual purposes, and the viewing of religious monuments and artefacts, as a kind of sightseeing. The former is relatively insignificant for the Russian tourism industry, amounting for approximately 100 thousands pilgrims yearly.[16] The latter is more important.[citation needed] Orthodox Christianity being the most common religion in Russia, it also accounts for most religious monuments across the country.[citation needed]
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Domes of Sobornaya Square in Moscow Kremlin
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The Valaam Monastery
Multiple pieces of Islamic religious architectural art are scattered across the country, from mosques to maqāms. They are mostly clustered in the historically Muslim regions.[citation needed]
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The Kul Sharif Mosque in Kazan
-
Lala Tulpan in Ufa
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The Juma Mosque in Derbent built 736
Russia has a Buddhist minority.[citation needed]
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The Datsan Gunzechoinei in St.Petersburg
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The Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume in Elista
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Ivolginsky Datsan in Buryatia
Foreign travel statistics
In 2013, 27 million international tourists arrived in Russia, generating US$11.2 billion in international tourism revenue for the country.[17][failed verification] Including domestic and international tourism, the industry directly contributed RUB860 billion to the Russian GDP and supported 966,500 jobs in the country.[18]
However, only 200,100 foreigners visited Russia in 2022, a drop of 96.1 percent.[1]
According to the
Total visitors by year | |
---|---|
2019 | 32,866,265 |
2018 | 32,550,677 |
2017 | 32,035,443 |
2016 | 31,466,538 |
2015 | 33,729,187 |
2014 | 32,421,490 |
2013 | 30,792,091 |
2012 | 28,176,502 |
2011 | 24,932,061 |
2010 | 22,281,217 |
2009 | 21,338,650 |
2008 | 23,676,140 |
2007 | 22,908,625 |
Nationality | Total (includes all types of purposes of visits) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
Ukraine | 3,648,972 | 8,646,295 | 9,177,272 | 9,817,008 | 9,737,405 |
Kazakhstan | 1,426,727 | 4,324,856 | 4,241,244 | 4,137,613 | 4,686,059 |
Uzbekistan | 720,041 | 2,588,922 | 2,354,642 | 2,350,007 | 2,116,480 |
Abkhazia | 414,927 | 600,399 | 492,310 | 436,368 | 415,606 |
Tajikistan | 401,888 | 1,557,148 | 1,340,975 | 1,350,356 | 1,293,270 |
Kyrgyzstan | 299,611 | 959,130 | 859,735 | 836,946 | 792,042 |
Azerbaijan | 269,807 | 1,175,045 | 1,145,327 | 1,143,243 | 1,156,703 |
Armenia | 209,812 | 816,454 | 825,200 | 857,212 | 833,577 |
Finland | 180,110 | 938,693 | 994,098 | 1,063,348 | 1,376,646 |
Belarus | 176,601 | 440,438 | 403,597 | 382,022 | 320,372 |
China | 155,594 | 2,257,039 | 2,030,319 | 1,780,200 | 1,565,524 |
Moldova | 154,766 | 614,043 | 698,027 | 803,916 | 699,112 |
Philippines | 133,414 | 193,031 | 179,672 | 172,278 | 160,734 |
Poland | 133,014 | 680,382 | 728,546 | 765,544 | 1,056,013 |
Turkey | 132,372 | 187,612 | 196,061 | 181,285 | 120,035 |
Estonia | 105,584 | 540,062 | 496,582 | 432,803 | 433,926 |
Latvia | 93,865 | 365,783 | 355,641 | 330,266 | 360,603 |
Stateless persons | 74,215 | 303,851 | 327,613 | 318,393 | 321,383 |
South Ossetia | 70,470 | 147,355 | 143,501 | 137,427 | 115,382 |
Germany | 69,456 | 744,473 | 701,576 | 629,082 | 613,370 |
Lithuania | 57,883 | 253,950 | 243,190 | 256,009 | 281,168 |
Mongolia | 56,625 | 394,994 | 401,485 | 416,293 | 542,196 |
Georgia | 56,266 | 120,086 | 123,732 | 117,204 | 65,378 |
India | 46,025 | 180,567 | 159,865 | 130,400 | 108,498 |
South Korea | 42,297 | 453,796 | 386,413 | 276,560 | 181,024 |
France | 38,391 | 249,410 | 236,583 | 211,673 | 201,260 |
Israel | 32,402 | 260,472 | 228,530 | 185,426 | 182,438 |
Italy | 28,432 | 251,751 | 225,776 | 206,860 | 208,689 |
Serbia | 26,731 | 84,852 | 96,730 | 87,899 | 79,575 |
United Kingdom | 22,471 | 194,956 | 216,029 | 193,522 | 190,278 |
Turkmenistan | 21,680 | 92,616 | 82,675 | 65,749 | 56,258 |
Vietnam | 19,477 | 90,565 | 84,612 | 77,391 | 66,939 |
United States | 19,306 | 300,933 | 337,395 | 293,011 | 248,990 |
Japan | 16,048 | 127,696 | 119,240 | 114,207 | 95,675 |
Netherlands | 14,663 | 84,651 | 80,540 | 73,729 | 68,017 |
Egypt | 13,481 | 28,039 | 39,402 | ||
Iran | 12,725 | 54,469 | 61,007 | 91,862 | 75,203 |
Thailand | 12,183 | 72,031 | 64,898 | 52,697 | 32,222 |
Greece | 11,732 | 44,784 | 42,967 | 41,205 | 46,730 |
Bulgaria | 10,255 | 41,083 | 40,836 | 39,191 | 41,290 |
Austria | 9,977 | 67,429 | 64,500 | 59,501 | 56,663 |
Czech Republic | 9,874 | 57,835 | 53,739 | 49,232 | 47,288 |
Indonesia | 9,671 | 40,284 | 31,695 | 25,425 | 20,211 |
Spain | 9,565 | 140,181 | 123,652 | 118,642 | 116,032 |
Romania | 9,335 | 32,779 | 29,920 | 26,330 | 23,684 |
Norway | 8,506 | 52,022 | 51,003 | 53,197 | 46,631 |
Sweden | 8,308 | 43,198 | 55,329 | 32,095 | 39,153 |
Belgium | 7,534 | 42,473 | 48,270 | 38,868 | 37,492 |
Croatia | 7,480 | 19,243 | 36,045 | ||
Switzerland | 7,407 | 55,747 | 59,828 | 53,167 | 52,656 |
Cuba | 6,631 | 29,169 | 27,882 | 30,711 | 26,667 |
Hungary | 5,680 | 35,541 | 32,998 | 25,659 | 25,313 |
Denmark | 5,016 | 24,662 | 31,308 | ||
Total | n/a | 32,866,265 | 32,550,677 | 32,035,443 | 31,466,538 |
Nationality | Total (includes all types of purposes of visits) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
Ukraine | 10,314,757 | 9,842,990 | 7,080,991 | 6,502,543 | 6,072,775 | 4,198,030 |
Kazakhstan | 5,180,246 | 4,215,161 | 3,848,899 | 3,630,342 | 3,049,406 | 2,747,358 |
Uzbekistan | 2,163,256 | 2,353,140 | 2,967444 | 2,677,322 | 2,086,359 | 1,584,086 |
Poland | 1,766,612 | 1,823,143 | 1,644,657 | 1,190,003 | 704,610 | 394,872 |
Finland | 1,476,412 | 1,446,169 | 1,388,036 | 1,375,614 | 1,211,520 | 1,012,621 |
China | 1,353,051 | 1,125,098 | 1,071,515 | 978,988 | 845,588 | 747,640 |
Tajikistan | 1,200,972 | 1,202,260 | 1,348,868 | 1,134,150 | 955,455 | 830,160 |
Azerbaijan | 1,071,324 | 1,021,204 | 1,196,759 | 1,116,238 | 1,045,525 | 979,778 |
Armenia | 850,137 | 794,098 | 882,864 | 700,332 | 550,349 | 459,040 |
Kyrgyzstan | 842,396 | 725,664 | 763,418 | 623,970 | 592,960 | 552,909 |
Moldova | 770,965 | 923,625 | 1,374,690 | 1,194,291 | 1,073,637 | 988,084 |
Germany | 595,200 | 635,153 | 686,557 | 671,676 | 629,391 | 611,367 |
Mongolia | 505,429 | 225,972 | 226,673 | 365,236 | 212,117 | 157,367 |
Belarus | 424,531 | 495,999 | 418,207 | 372,942 | 267,233 | 259,191 |
Abkhazia | 422,130 | 362,811 | 293,429 | 273,964 | 202,440 | 52,289 |
Estonia | 382,031 | 363,942 | 430,164 | 494,282 | 519,402 | 474,949 |
Latvia | 348,338 | 374,701 | 391,304 | 461,162 | 571,374 | 569,300 |
Stateless persons | 326,841 | 349,400 | 463,640 | 523,333 | 618,705 | 679,757 |
Turkey | 323,039 | 361,416 | 385,147 | 305,429 | 249,109 | 196,704 |
Lithuania | 270,600 | 487,206 | 539,308 | 553,896 | 622,740 | 760,728 |
United States | 242,104 | 257,070 | 305,954 | 286,551 | 275,239 | 262,060 |
Italy | 204,710 | 219,976 | 225,933 | 212,411 | 207,476 | 198,002 |
France | 191,643 | 219,210 | 225,860 | 225,343 | 213,473 | 194,248 |
United Kingdom | 190,775 | 228,346 | 259,676 | 231,670 | 221,418 | 212,847 |
Israel | 165,003 | 152,853 | 136,827 | 123,974 | 114,380 | 100,291 |
Philippines | 163,010 | 162,990 | 149,213 | 130,541 | 99,405 | 81,385 |
South Korea | 153,189 | 135,676 | 107,942 | 94,922 | 91,335 | 90,622 |
South Ossetia | 125,444 | 117,283 | 94,159 | 73,863 | 47,739 | 33,409 |
Spain | 110,247 | 100,206 | 109,089 | 101,536 | 129,730 | 110,601 |
India | 95,527 | 94,259 | 95,542 | 80,127 | 60,191 | 53,364 |
Japan | 93,550 | 105,220 | 102,408 | 86,806 | 76,204 | 78,188 |
Serbia | 79,406 | 87,048 | 107,601 | 70,371 | 57,177 | 47,939 |
Georgia | 69,095 | 58,264 | 48,440 | 35,511 | 30,415 | 24,568 |
Netherlands | 63,469 | 80,543 | 86,402 | 81,212 | 87,549 | 80,720 |
Vietnam | 60,882 | 75,840 | 81,073 | 62,961 | 53,529 | 50,823 |
Austria | 57,242 | 67,392 | 74,277 | 71,863 | 70,388 | 67,606 |
Turkmenistan | 51,170 | 47,002 | 40,238 | 43,720 | 39,579 | 35,017 |
Norway | 49,535 | 57,423 | 54,433 | 50,115 | 48,614 | 45,340 |
Iran. | 46,760 | 29,743 | 20,657 | 23,085 | 21,575 | 20,576 |
Czech Republic | 46,432 | 68,875 | 76,530 | 62,980 | 46,776 | 40,565 |
Switzerland | 46,200 | 50,838 | 54,898 | 52,852 | 47,978 | 44,964 |
Canada | 43,663 | 53,370 | 61,234 | 54,730 | 52,238 | 48,559 |
Greece | 41,210 | 46,450 | 48,280 | 36,474 | 33,569 | 33,396 |
Sweden | 40,424 | 49,908 | 53,340 | 58,900 | 60,840 | 54,253 |
Australia | 39,613 | 46,072 | 46,861 | 43,105 | 34,868 | 30,583 |
Bulgaria | 37,035 | 42,230 | 47,154 | 45,312 | 42,031 | 38,446 |
Brazil | 35,531 | 33,301 | 37,386 | 33,647 | 29,840 | 21,950 |
Belgium | 33,714 | 37,441 | 40,316 | 37,025 | 36,430 | 33,571 |
Thailand | 29,482 | 25,585 | 23,919 | 19,375 | 17,023 | 15,192 |
Romania | 25,970 | 28,391 | 30,886 | 24,792 | 21,993 | 17,884 |
Hungary | 24,849 | 28,421 | 27,155 | 23,047 | 23,241 | 20,736 |
Mexico | 22,922 | 18,223 | 21,527 | 16,431 | 16,759 | 13,767 |
North Korea | 20,893 | 23,902 | 23,604 | 22,071 | 18,901 | 21,167 |
Slovakia | 19,876 | 24,962 | 27,554 | 24,161 | 20,445 | 18,512 |
Indonesia | 18,100 | 20,330 | 21,088 | 18,572 | 18,313 | 14,448 |
Argentina | 17,322 | 13,614 | 15,944 | 13,976 | 12,316 | 9,044 |
Portugal | 15,475 | 15,181 | 14,952 | 15,398 | 15,814 | 18,434 |
Cuba | 12,349 | 11,609 | 9,625 | 5,293 | 4,099 | 4,053 |
Total | 33,729,187 | 32,421,490 | 30,792,091 | 28,176,502 | 24,932,016 | 22,281,217 |
- Visa statistics
Most visas were issued in the following countries:
Location | Number of visas issued in | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
Germany | 58,953 | 410,780 | 360,582 | 336,423 | 324,959 | 299,791 |
China | 41,280 | 453,338 | 406,831 | 371,489 | 339,030 | 357,040 |
Turkey | 34,162 | 83,169 | 81,177 | 79,898 | 45,209 | 33,698 |
France | 27,059 | 172,870 | 146,491 | 145,576 | 131,229 | 119,314 |
United Kingdom | 20,770 | 92,573 | 88,290 | 96,246 | 93,169 | 87,863 |
Italy | 18,272 | 162,529 | 139,797 | 129,124 | 129,038 | 117,123 |
United States | 16,736 | 106,250 | 98,936 | 95,630 | 94,682 | 85,974 |
Finland | 14,271 | 110,480 | 105,157 | 108,792 | 116,462 | 112,655 |
Latvia | 11,295 | 78,727 | 79,082 | 74,382 | 77,574 | 70,328 |
Poland | 10,535 | 67,666 | 62,840 | 59,187 | 54,885 | 43,038 |
Total | 452 161 | 3,090,538 | 2,758,893 | 2,687,146 | 2,505,457 | 2,283,850 |
See also
- Visa policy of Russia
- Russian culture
- List of museums in Russia
- List of World Heritage Sites in Russia
- Wildlife of Russia
References
- ^ a b c d e "Tourism collapses in Russia following western sanctions". Al Arabiya English. 9 February 2023.
- ^ "Number of inbound tourism visits to Russia from 2014 to 2022", Statista, 27 April 2023
- ^ "UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Tentative Lists". UNESCO. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "Tourism Highlights 2014" (PDF). E-unwto.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "Europe: Russia extends flight suspension at multiple southern and central airports until April 19 /update 40". Europe: Russia extends flight suspension at multiple southern and central airports until April 19 /update 40 | Crisis24.
- ^ "Sanctions: Russia's commercial airlines face a slow death", Deutsche Welle, 18 November 2022
- ^ Luhn, Alec (26 March 2014). "Russia's Sakha Republic proposes 'tourist camps' on former gulag sites". The Guardian.
- ^ "Strona domeny katyn.pl". Katyn.pl. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ Itaka, Biuro Podróży. "Tajemnice Wysp Sołowieckich – ITAKA". Itaka.pl. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "GULAG History Museum". gmig.ru.
- ^ "40 most beautiful places in Russia". Russianblogger.me. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Hit the spa Russian style: Mineral springs and hot tub substitutes". 2 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Медицинский туризм: почему иностранцы лечатся в России, а россияне — за границей" [Medical tourism: why foreigners seek treatment in Russia, and Russians abroad]. forbes.ru (in Russian). 14 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Какое лечение в России выбирают иностранцы" [What kind of medical treatment do foreigners choose in Russia]. ratanews.ru (in Russian). RATA news. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- PMID 32655455.
- ^ "Туристов отделят от паломников с 1 ноября" [Starting November 1, tourists will be separated from pilgrims]. atorus.ru (in Russian). Ассоциация Туроператоров. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Tourism Highlights 2013 edition" (PDF). Dtxtq4w60xqpw.cloudfront.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "2013 Travel & Tourism Economic Impact Report Russian Federation" (PDF). Wttc.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "Паспорт набора данных "Визы по странам"" (in Russian). Консульский департамент МИД России. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
External links
- Moscow City Guide at the official website of the Mayor of Moscow
- St Petersburg Official City Guide
- Karelia Tourist Portal (Solovetsky Islands, Kizhi)
- Guide to the Golden Ring of Russia
- Tatarstan Official Guide(including Kazan)
- Official Rosa Khutor Guide (ski resorts in Sochi)
- Baikal Tourist Guide
- Vladivostok City Guide
- Russia travel and tourism at Curlie
- (in Russian) Federal Agency for Tourism
- Cheboksary tourist portal Archived 13 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine