In the summer season of 2025, according to the forecast of the Ministry of Economic Development, the number of tourist trips in Russia will grow by 3.6 million compared to last year and reach 48.4 million trips. The growing demand for domestic tourism triggers the development of the market. More and more new hotels are opening in the country, and representatives of the regions are thinking about how to attract tourists.
Finam explains how the Russian tourism market is developing in 2025.
The hotel business is booming
Most of all, the development of Russian tourism is stimulating the hotel business. As Kommersant writes with reference to the Contour.Focus data, the number of companies in the market of hotel and resort services increased by 5.2% over the year and reached 40.3 thousand. In the 1Q 2025, 1.5 thousand new companies appeared in this service sector, which is 18.7% more than in the same period last year. According to market experts, 80 hotels with 9,000 rooms were opened in Russia in 2024. The industry had the same performance in record-breaking 2018. According to forecasts, 10-12 thousand new rooms will appear in Russia annually in 2025-2026. Their number will grow by about 7% per year.
The largest number of new hotel companies appeared in the Krasnodar region by 4.5% over the year - 4.71 thousand, in Moscow their number increased by 2.1% to 4.03 thousand, and in St. Petersburg, which closes the top three, by 1.4% to 2.14 thousand.
The growing popularity of the hotel business is explained by its profitability. Thus, according to Hotel Advisors, the average cost of a hotel room in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the 1Q 2025 increased by 16% compared to the same period last year.
However, it is worth noting that against the background of an increase in the number of travelers last year, domestic tourism expenses increased by only 7%. They did not grow in the 1Q 2025. At the same time, real expenses per tourist, adjusted for inflation, decreased by 4.7% last year, and decreased by another 12% in the 1Q 2025.
The authorities are preparing for the tourist season
The authorities are actively discussing preparations for the summer tourist season, which traditionally lasts from May to September. During this period, the largest number of tourist trips are made in Russia.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, noted that special attention is planned to be paid to the development of domestic tourism. According to the government's plans, the number of tourist trips across the country's regions is expected to grow to 140 million in 2030.
This year, according to Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of Russia, half of the new trips will be to the most popular destinations. Russians especially often book hotels in Buryatia, Crimea, Altai Krai, Nizhny Novgorod Region, Dagestan and Bashkiria. Based on these data, the Ministry of Transport is expected to adjust the summer schedule and send more planes and trains to popular destinations.
More and more attention is being paid to the safety of tourists. Anatoly Suprunovsky, Russia's chief state Inspector for Fire Supervision, noted that in 2024, the Ministry of Emergency Situations received over 26,000 notifications of tourist events involving over 356,000 people. Over 2,000 such events have already been registered in the 1Q 2025. According to Serpukhovsky, registration of events with the Ministry of Emergency Situations allows the agency to reduce the response time and narrow the search area.
How will the regions develop tourism
The regions strive not to rest on their laurels and continue to develop tourism and attract Russians to their vacations. According to a study by the Tutu travel service conducted among representatives of tourist information centers and local tourism administrations in 43 regions of Russia, 93% of experts noted an increase in tourist traffic to their regions in 2024. On average, the number of tourists visiting the region increased from 11 to 20%. Last year, more than half as many tourists visited the Leningrad Region and the Republic of Mordovia. The tourist flow to the Vladimir region and the Republic of Udmurtia increased from 31 to 40%. Ulyanovsk, Voronezh, and Samara regions added from 21 to 30%.
According to market experts, in order to further development of tourism in the regions, it is necessary to increase the number of places for group accommodation, create travel products that will be relevant for travelers in any season, attract more foreign tourists and create new interesting routes. In addition, experts named the formation of a unique tourist image of the region and increasing its recognition in the media environment as one of the main tasks.
Alimbek Khidzev, Director of Tourism Development at the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, draws attention to the fact that in the near future, the priority for most regions will be to increase the tourist infrastructure for a comfortable stay.
In addition to government support and the creation of suitable infrastructure, experts believe that natural and climatic features, attractions, ethnic characteristics and the opportunity to explore a new culture help to develop domestic tourism in the regions. It is these unique advantages for each region that help attract more and more tourists.
Igor Sivets, member of the Board of the Association of Travel Aggregators (ATAK), notes that domestic tourism remains the most stable destination in Russia. Tourists increasingly prefer to travel to different regions of the country. At the same time, 60% of them book places for accommodation and make up recreation programs on their own. The trend towards ecotourism is also growing. More and more travelers are choosing Altai, Kamchatka, Murmansk, and the North Caucasus, which attract them with their views and nature at different times of the year.
In general, market experts are positive about the prospects of the tourism industry in 2025. They expect the tourist flow to increase by 8-17% per year, depending on the region.
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