From January to December 2019, foreigners made 32,9 million visits to Russia. This is about the same as in 2018 - an increase is 0,98%. However, the number of foreigners visiting Russia with tourist purposes increased by 20,5% over the year and amounted up to 5,1 million people.
Almost all of the TOP-10 countries show an increase in the number of visits. The number of visits from Kazakhstan increased by 1,7% (up to 4,3 million), from Uzbekistan - by almost 10% (2,6 million). The TOP-10 also includes: China (2,3 million, + 11,2%), Tajikistan (1,6 million, + 17,6%), Azerbaijan (1,2 million, + 2,5%), Kyrgyzstan (959,1 thousand, + 11,6%), Finland (938,7 thousand, -5,6%), Armenia (816,5 thousand, minus 1%) and Germany (744,5 thousand, + 6,1%).
At the same time, only 1,5 million Chinese (out of 2,3 million), indicated tourism as the goal of their visit.
Last year, foreigners made 5 061 696 visits to Russia, indicating tourism as the goal of their trip (+ 20,5% to the corresponding indicators for 2018). Thus, by the end of 2019, almost one fifth more foreign tourists visited Russia than in 2018.
TOP-5 of the main suppliers of tourists in comparison with 2018 has not changed. The largest number of tourists, according to Border Service, came from China – 1,5 million. The flow of tourists from China grew by almost 19%.
Through the "visa-free channel" Russia was visited by 1,2 million Chinese citizens. Most of them (750 thousand) stayed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Another 170 thousand visits were recorded in the Primorsky Territory, 116 thousand in the Amur Region, 38 thousand in the Trans-Baikal Territory and 15,1 thousand in the Khabarovsk Territory.
In the second place is Germany. Over the year, citizens of this country made 522,2 thousand visits to Russia, which is 15,7% higher than in 2018.
In the third place is South Korea. In 2019, the tourist flow from this country increased by 20,8% and amounted to 413,6 thousand.
The flow of tourists to Russia from the USA continues to grow. Last year, Americans made 241,1 tourist visits to Russia, which is 6% more than a year earlier.
Israel closes the TOP-5 with 199 thousand tourist visits over the year (+ 21,7%).
