A senior official told ET that the first Indian tourist groups to travel to Moscow without a visa are expected to arrive in the spring 2025.
Evgeny Kozolov, the chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, said that the number of Indian tourists visiting the Russian capital is expected to increase significantly as a result of the agreement which is currently being developed.
Kozlov says that Moscow continues attracting travellers from India. He said that in the first half 2024, 28,500 Indians visited the Russian capital, which is 1.5 times higher than the same period of last year.
In 2023, India will be the leading non-CIS country in terms of travel to Moscow. In the last year, India welcomed more than 60,000 visitors to the Russian capital. This is a 26 per cent increase over the 2022 figures.
” In the first quarter of the year, India ranked third among non-CIS countries in terms of the number of visitors. The Moscow authorities consider India as a priority market, given its long-standing and tested relationship with Russia,” Kozlov said.
The Moscow City Tourism Committee’s main focus is to implement measures that will develop tourism and hospitality in the capital. It also aims to make Moscow an attractive destination for tourists from India. Moscow has many attractions for casual and budget travelers.
Travellers from India can now apply for an electronic visa (approximately four days). India entered the top 5 countries in terms the volume of e visas issued last year. He said that India issued 9,500 thousand electronic Visas to foreigners, which is 6% of the total number.
“In January this year, Indian tourists received approximately 1700 electronic visas,” said he.
Kozlov stated that the Russian Capital with its year round festivals, exhibitions and summits has become a ‘important centre for event and corporate tourism.
He said previously that Moscow would also love to attract more Indian marriages to Moscow. Kozlov previously stated that Moscow plans to increase the number of hotel rooms by 25,700 by 2030.
