In 2021, tourist flow in Russia fell 31 times

Tourist arrivals in Russia fell by 31 times in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2019, according to the statistics from the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service.

“In all, 64 400 foreigners visited Russia for tourist purposes in the first half of 2021. The tourist flow in the same period in 2020 was 322 800, while in 2019 it was over 2 million.

“When compared to the pre-pandemic period, inbound tourist flow fell 31 times,” noted ATOR (Association of Tour Operators of Russia) in a statement.

Tourists from Cuba visited Russia the most frequently in the first half of the year – 20 500 residents. In the first six months of 2019, 10 600 Cubans visited the Russian Federation for tourism purposes.

Tourists from the UAE, Turkey, Germany, Serbia, India, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Qatar, and South Korea were also among the most frequent visitors to Russia. In six months, 25 000 Chinese tourists came in Russia, while 592 000 arriving in the first half of 2019.

According to ATOR, from January to June 2021, over 5 million foreign visitors visited Russia for various purposes, compared to around 6 million in the same time in 2020 and 15 million in the first half of 2019.