Russia´s Travel Industry Keeps Putting Good Numbers on the Board

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has included Russia on its list of tourist destinations that are posting steady growth in tourist numbers.

This year, demand for tourist services in Russia has increased by 3.3 percent. This is just below the growth rate in Germany, a country that goes to great lengths to promote tourism. Experts are forecasting 7 percent growth for the Russian tourism industry by 2010.

The WTTC predicts that if current trends continue, every tenth job in Russia will be connected with tourism in some way in a decade´s time. The industry has the potential to become a dynamic growth sector and boost the transport, communications and service industries.

This year the tourism industry will net $87 billion and Russia will rank 14th in the world in terms of tourism revenues. The growth of the tourism industry is being driven by personal travel rather than business travel. Personal travel is less vulnerable to economic fluctuations and so is more stable. There has been another promising development: the Russian regions have recognized the benefits of tourism and are now marketing themselves to tourists.

The most sought-after trips among foreigners are cultural tours of Russia´s historical centers. Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, head of the Russian Federal Tourism Agency, says that 37 percent of visitors want to see Moscow, and 39 percent are drawn to St. Petersburg.

The third most popular area is the Golden Ring, a route that runs from Moscow to the northeast, through Sergiyev Posad, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Vladimir and Suzdal. The architecture of the churches and fortresses of these towns is wonderfully diverse.

Both foreign and Russian industry experts have recently commended the tourist services, the restaurants and the whole infrastructure of the tourism industry in Russia. In its efforts to develop the sector, Russia has drawn on the experience of British, American, French and German experts.