In the first nine months of 2026, the number of tourist trips by foreigners to Russia increased by 3.45%. Moreover, over half of the international bookings at Russian hotels made via the Yandex Travel platform were attributed to visitors from China.
From January to September 2026, foreign tourists made 1.329 million trips to Russia, which is a 3.45% increase compared to the same period last year. These figures are provided by the Border Service of the FSB. Read more.
China remains the leader in terms of the number of tourist visits. Over nine months, 812,460 travellers arrived from China, marking a 17.65% increase compared to the previous year. Turkmenistan ranks second with 70,980 trips, followed by Turkey with 59,000. The top five also includes Saudi Arabia and Germany. However, the trends vary across destinations: tourist flow from Turkmenistan grew by nearly 40%, from Turkey by 17%, while arrivals from Germany decreased by 32.7%.
The growth of the Chinese market is also evident in the hotel industry. According to Yandex Travel, since the beginning of the year, tourists from China have accounted for 54% of bookings made by foreign guests at Russian hotels on the platform. By comparison, travellers from Turkey represented 13%, and those from India 12%.
A similar pattern in inbound tourism has been observed within the Cosmos Hotel Group network. From January to September, Chinese tourists accounted for 35% of all foreign guests at its hotels. The top five destinations favoured by these travellers included Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Murmansk, Novosibirsk, and Yaroslavl. According to data from the company, the total number of foreign guests across the network over nine months remained consistent with last year’s figures. However, there was an increase in visitors from other countries: for instance, the number of guests from Turkey rose by 38%, from Thailand by 64%, and from the UAE by 73%.
An additional incentive for mutual travel has been the simplification of visa requirements and the expansion of air connections. As Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova stated in October 2026, the number of tourist trips between Russia and China increased by 50% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period the previous year. In 2025, the mutual tourist flow exceeded 3 million trips.
China is emerging as a key market for several segments of the Russian tourism industry. The growing number of trips is driving increased demand for hotels, with Chinese visitors opting not only for Moscow and St Petersburg but also for regional destinations. For hoteliers, this presents an opportunity to attract an international audience year-round, while for the regions, it offers a chance to expand their presence in the global tourism market.
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