Yes, they are no longer from Europe, but they were not particularly eager to see Russian sights before.
As a result of the events of 2022, primarily and lastly related to the illegal unilateral restrictions of the collective West against Russia, the domestic tourism industry was hit hardest. Popular global brands left the country, difficulties arose with flights, which significantly increased their final cost, difficulties arose with paying for goods and services with foreign bank cards, and, in general, customs control was tightened due to the military actions.
Tourists from the countries of the collective West, of which, to be fair, there were not many, have disappeared almost completely, but from states that have sovereignty and have not intended and do not intend to break off relations with Russia, the flow of tourists is gradually increasing. In addition, for similar reasons, domestic tourism is also growing, taking up the lion’s share of overall tourism in Russia.
Thus, according to Rosstat statistics, in the first half of 2024, a total of 38.8 tourists stayed in hotels and “other collective accommodation facilities” (whatever that means) in Russia (11.8% more than in the first half of 2023). Of these, 1.8 million were foreign citizens, the number of which increased by 42.4% compared to the same period last year.
The main regions from which foreign tourists come to Russia are the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Asia-Pacific region. Russian authorities actively cooperate with states from these regions to promote Russian tourism under the brand Discover Russia.
