Russia plans to welcome 200,000 tourists from Saudi Arabia by the end of 2026

Russia plans to welcome 200,000 tourists from Saudi Arabia by the end of 2026. A new visa-free mechanism is expected to significantly boost mutual travel flows. 

“By analogy with other visa-free regimes, we see that such a step can increase tourist flow by another 30 to 50%,” said Nikita Kondratiev, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. He noted that Russia is interested in the growing influx of guests from Saudi Arabia, which rose by 33% in 2025 to over 140,000 trips, up from 108,000 in 2024.

Tour operator confirmed receiving summer booking requests from Saudi tourists, with a surge in December after the visa-free announcement, though spring trips were disrupted by flight cancellations. However, the market is currently quiet due to instability in the Middle East, and past levels have not yet returned. Travel experts say that Saudis are not last-minute bookers—they plan far in advance, so active requests may resume closer to August under normal conditions. According to tour operators, Saudi tourists typically travel in large families, with top destinations being Moscow and classic Moscow-plus-St. Petersburg tours.