by Suman Gupta
Moscow- Must Visit Tourist Destination High Growth of tourist flow from India to Moscow
Moscow is safe city (~ 230 000 CCTV cameras, low crime rate)
2) Easy e-visa procedure (online, within 4 days)
3) Developed transport connectivity (10 direct Aeroflot flights per week – 7 with New Delhi, 3 with Goa; 20+ daily one-stop flights with Mumbai)
4) Moscow is green city (~ 2200 electric buses)
5) Comfortable for Indian tourists (special restaurants, navigation in English, perfect for family tourism)
6) 43% of Indian tourists would like to visit Moscow for the sake of the capital’s natural attractions
7) More than a third of Indian tourists (37%) would like to go shopping in Moscow during tourist trip
8) Rich entertainment agenda during summertime and wintertime (hundreds of thousands of city events per year)
In the first 9 months of 2024, Moscow received 19.7 million guests, including 1.9 million foreign tourists, which is 19 percent higher than in 2023.
• In 2024 Moscow continues to attract tourists from India. In the first nine months of 2024, India ranked among the top two non-CIS countries for the number of foreign tourists visiting Moscow. Over 61,000 Indian travelers explored the Russian capital during this period (a 1.4-fold increase compared to the figures for the first nine months of 2023).
• From the 1st August, 2023 holders of Indian passport can apply for an e-visa which is fast (it takes only 4 days to issue an e-visa), easy (invitations or confirmations are not required) and convenient (everything is processed online). This became a significant driver for the MICE tourist flow from India to Russia.
• India entered the TOP-5 countries by the number of e-visas issued in 2024, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
• By 2030 the number of foreign tourists in Moscow is expected to reach 6 million people, mainly due to travelers from the CIS countries, the Asia-Pacific region, India, the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Business tourism to Moscow
• Moscow is the capital of business tourism. City gets a lot of business tourism flow thanks to various events: conferences, forums, and international exhibitions. Business tourists are increasingly combining business trips with a cultural program.
• Business tourism is one of the leading areas of Moscow’s tourism industry. Every third arrival from India is for business purposes (data for the first 9 months of 2024). There is a growing number of such travelers from BRICS countries.
• During the first nine months of 2024, a third of all visitors from India came to Moscow for educational purposes and to expand their knowledge.
• About 40 percent of travelers who came to Moscow for the first time for business purposes later return to the Russian capital for a vacation.
• Business tourism provides additional income for all types of businesses throughout the year, including during low seasons. Visitors on business trips usually spend 1.5–2 times more money than other tourists.
• By 2030 the number of travelers coming to the city for business purposes is expected to reach 8 million people, with a significant number of tourists coming from India.
Promoting Moscow as a business tourism destination in the Indian market
• Moscow sees India as a priority market, with a particular focus on attracting both leisure and MICE travelers from the region.
• The Moscow City Tourism Committee actively participates in major travel exhibitions in India (BLTM, SATTE, OTM, MILT Congress, etc.) to build brand recognition, establish new business connections and receive valuable feedback from the market players.
• The certification program for Moscow MICE Ambassadors was launched in 2023. The second stream of the project was completed on 1st of November 2024 – 200 professionals from India’s MICE industry were trained.
the Indian tourism market to the potential partners from the Russian capital. These events raise awareness of Moscow and its opportunities on the Indian market. Moreover, these events include a series of b2b negotiations and productive networking sessions. On January 28, a new business mission took place in Mumbai. Another recent business mission was held in the city of Chennai on August 27, 2024.
• In April 2024, the Moscow City Tourism Committee hosted the Shaping MICE Future conference in Delhi, bringing together over 100 representatives from India’s MICE industry.
• In December 2024, Moscow hosted the Meet Global MICE Congress: BRICS Edition, which became the largest Russian event for an international audience in the field of business tourism. It brought together more than 1.3 thousand representatives of the business tourism industry from the BRICS countries, including Russia, Brazil, India and China, as well as countries of the Global South. Within the framework of the forum, representatives of foreign delegations held more than two thousand meetings.
• In August 2024, Moscow participated in the Business + Leisure Travel and MICE 2024 (BLTM) exhibition in New Delhi. As part of this exhibition, we introduced our special guide for Indian tourists – the Indian Vibes in Moscow guide. The guide accommodates Indian restaurants, hotels near such restaurant and most popular attractions among Indian tourists. It can also help guests of our city to discover routes connected to India in Moscow. Besides, it contains a short info on some historic connections with India which can be found in Moscow. The guide was supported and approved by Embassy of India in Moscow.
• In June 2024, the first BRICS Tourism Forum was held in Moscow, attended by more than 300 representatives of relevant departments, the business community, heads of associations and industry experts from the BRICS countries, including India.
The attractiveness of Moscow as a destination for business and leisure tourism
• Moscow is an all–season resort city with a diverse event agenda. Throughout the year the city hosts festivals covering hundreds of venues. Winter in Moscow is a magical time of immersive citywide celebrations and illuminations. During the summer months, the city transforms into a vibrant resort destination, offering beaches, open-air pools, sports grounds, and a variety of entertainment options in parks and natural areas.
• Moscow is a city with a rich history. More than 8,000 monuments from the city’s cultural heritage have been preserved.
• Throughout the year, the city hosts a variety of festivals in hundreds of venues. By 2030, it is expected that at least 14% of all tourists – around 7.3 million people – will come to Moscow to attend cultural festivals, large-scale fairs, and other events.
• Moscow is a modern metropolis with a huge number of diverse activities. From beautiful historical buildings, hotel infrastructure, to beautiful natural areas and parks, and cuisines from all over the world.
• Moscow is a city that can provide MICE organizers with many options: in addition to modern and up-to-date congress venues, the city can offer sophisticated professionals more than 150 interesting and unique venues where MICE events of all kinds can be organized: historical estates, parks, theaters and art galleries.
Special approach to Indian tourists
• Moscow hosts numerous events related to India. For instance, there are annual event like India Day, or Yoga Day – the festival organized by the Indian Embassy together with Moscow Government.
• Moscow is reviving the hotel certification system in accordance with India-friendly standards. This includes providing language support in Hindi and English, training staff who speak foreign languages, serving Indian cuisine in restaurants, and educating staff on the unique aspects of Indian culture.
• For business events there are special catering options serving Indian and vegetarian food, Indian art-groups for performances.
• Moscow is an ideal destination for all kinds of tourists: families, young people, businessmen etc. The city attracts many young people, including Indian students pursuing top-tier education in fields like medicine, engineering, and cosmonautics etc.
• In 2024 the Moscow City Tourism Committee has adopted the “City of Discoveries” educational project for Indian schoolchildren. The project offers educational tours combining career guidance with visits to Moscow’s landmarks and museums, focusing on areas like medicine and space. Families can also enjoy the “Let’s Play Moscow” project, featuring interactive routes with engaging tasks and rewards, making Moscow an exciting and educational playground for all ages.
The Potential of Moscow as a New Hub for Indian Filmmakers
• The Moscow Film Cluster offers extensive opportunities (infrastructure facilities, services, and amenities) for high-level film production and has already garnered significant interest from the global film industry, including India. Currently, it encompasses six key components: the Moskino Production & Experience Park (Kinopark), the Moskino Cinema Creative Center (Kinozavod), the Gorky Film Studio, Moskino Cinemas, the Moskino Film Commission and the Moskino Digital Platform.
• In 2023, the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, launched the Moskino Digital Platform, designed to streamline the entire process of coordinating and conducting film shoots in Moscow. The platform, available in Hindi and English, enables users to submit applications to the film commission, select locations, arrange props, and resolve other logistical issues.
• In 2024, the Moskino Digital Platform and the Moskino Film Commission facilitated the production of the Indian movie «The Greatest of All Time», directed by Venkat Prabhu. Filming took place at iconic Moscow locations, including the Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, and Manezhnaya Square.
• In 2024, the Moskino Production & Experience park was opened by the President of Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin. This facility has become one the world’s largest complex of outdoor filming locations and features 18 large-scale outdoor sets and four pavilions for film and television production. It has quickly become a new attraction in Moscow, drawing over 100,000 visitors in the first weeks of 2025 alone. The development plan of the site includes more than 60 outdoor and indoor locations on the territory of 1113 hectares until 2030.
• Moscow continues development projects of the Moskino Cinema Creative Center (Kinozavod), and of modernization projects of the Gorky Film Studio which will celebrate its 110th anniversary in 2025.
• Moscow is actively developing as an international film center. In August 2024, it hosted the Moscow International Film Week, which placed a special emphasis on the Indian film industry. Eighteen Indian films were presented at the festival, and major figures from the industry participated.
