Moscow City Tourism Committee has announced that it is strengthening ties with India with the aim to reinforce its status as a premier destination for both leisure and business tourism, with India emerging as a key strategic partner.

In a press statement, Moscow states that the first half of 2024 saw a remarkable 150 pc increase in Indian travellers to Moscow compared to the same period in 2023, amounting to 28,500 visitors. The growth was driven primarily by the introduction of the e-visa system in August 2023, which made travel for Indian passport holders more accessible and boosted MICE traffic from India to Russia.

Evgeny Kozlov

“While most tourists visit Moscow for cultural, educational, and entertainment purposes, the city has also been focusing on expanding business tourism, which is now a significant contributor to the local economy.  By 2030 the number of foreign tourists is expected to reach 6 million people, mainly due to travellers from the CIS countries, the Asia-Pacific region, India, the Middle East and other parts of the world,” says Evgeny Kozlov, First Deputy Head of the Office of the Mayor and the Government of Moscow, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee.

The statement adds that Moscow will present its cultural, leisure, and business tourism at the OTM International Tourism Exhibition in Mumbai from January 30 to February 1.

Ahead of the exhibition, on January 28, a Moscow Business Mission will bring together prominent Moscow tourism representatives and approximately 80 Indian tour operators and industry stakeholders. On January 29, a reception hosted by the Moscow City Tourism Committee will welcome Indian partners, with high-ranking officials in attendance, including Ivan Fetisov, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Mumbai, Victor Gorelykh, Director of the Russian House in Mumbai, and Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, adds the statement.