The capital’s hospitality industry is gradually recovering from the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges. Sergei Sobyanin announced this in his blog.
The number of tourists has also grown. So, 3.3 million people came to Moscow without an overnight stay. This is five percent more than in the first half of 2021.
The vast majority of the guests — 8.3 million people — are residents of Russia. Moscow remains the undisputed leader among the country’s regions in the field of domestic tourism. In addition, 700 thousand foreign tourists have visited the capital since the beginning of 2022. The average level of hotel occupancy was 55 percent.
Revenues to the city budget at the same time amounted to 50.2 billion rubles, which is six percent more than in the first half of 2021, when this figure amounted to 47.2 billion rubles.
The city supports the tourism industry, so preferential loans, grants, subsidies and other anti-crisis support measures introduced in 2020 were retained. A number of new decisions have also been made this year. For example, we have provided grants for market participants who implement tourism projects in the field of business and organized youth tourism.
A company that organizes conferences, congresses, forums and business meetings in Moscow, as well as events for young people (gatherings, contests and festivals), can receive up to 10 millions of rubles to cover expenses. In total, 350 million rubles are planned to be allocated for grants. During the first qualifying stage, 25 applications for 50 million rubles have already been approved. The second stage started on July 20 and will last until September 23.
In addition, non-financial measures to support the industry are expanding. In 2020, the Russpass service was created, which helps to form a trip plan, book hotels, purchase tickets for transport and museums, and choose restaurants. In two years, Russpass has become the largest national ecosystem of tourist services and city offers, covering 85 regions of Russia. It has already attracted five million users. There you can find more than five thousand offers for tourists, more than 900 routes and excursions, thousands of tours. The service is available in four languages: Russian, English, Spanish and Arabic.
