Meeting on the development of tourism and hospitality in Russia

Before the meeting, Mikhail Mishustin reviewed the presentations of domestic tourism development projects.

Mikhail Mishustin's opening remarks

Report by Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov

Mikhail Mishustin's closing remarks

Mikhail Mishustin's opening remarks:

Good afternoon, friends, colleagues.

Before we begin this meeting, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Mr Gref, our colleagues from Sber, who have organised everything to the highest standard. Thanks for your traditional hospitality. And, of course, thank you to our esteemed colleague, the governor. Mr Turchak, thank you for this events programme.

It has become a tradition to hold this meeting in the Republic of Altai, one of Russia's most scenic locations.

Today, we will discuss key issues concerning the development of Russian tourism and hospitality. These issues concern residents of Russia and everybody involved in this and many associated industries - and, of course, those using these services.

Just now, as we visited the exhibition, we reviewed presentations of projects some of which were implemented with state support. The majority of these projects are in their final implementation phases. They are examples of state-business cooperation, thanks to which Russian regions are adding cutting-edge tourist facilities, expanding infrastructure and creating new growth points.

The contribution of tourism and hospitality to GDP has grown in the past few years, exceeding three percent in 2025. It is expected to reach five percent by 2030. It is a goal set by the President.

Tens of millions of trips around the country are made every year. Over the first six months of 2026, more than 43 million trips were made, including over three million by foreign tourists.

Today, visitors from 64 countries are able to enter our country using an electronic visa, for which the processing procedure has been considerably simplified. The permitted period of stay in Russia has been extended almost twofold - increasing from a mere 16 days to 30 days.

There has been a significant increase in the number of visitors from China, following the introduction of a visa-free regime initiated by the Presidents of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Recently, the validity of this agreement was extended through to the end of 2027.

The Government is engaged in systemic efforts to eliminate administrative barriers in the tourism sector. This year, a series of initiatives has been launched aimed at simplifying hotel check-in procedures. Previously, Russian citizens could check in solely with a passport; however, it is now possible to do so using a military ID, a driving licence, or an international passport. Moreover, since March, individuals have been able to check in without presenting physical documents - via the national messenger, MAX. Nearly 200 hotels across 40 regions of Russia have already adopted this mechanism.

The domestic tourism industry is expanding rapidly, becoming more diverse and catering to individuals of all ages, income levels, and interests. It is imperative to continue developing high-quality and accessible infrastructure. To this end, one of the landmark projects, Five Seas and Lake Baikal, is being implemented. Under this framework, 12 year-round resorts will be built in 10 Russian regions.

A comprehensive suite of state support mechanisms is also in effect. Foremost among them - and of particular interest to all investors - is the preferential lending programme, through which the construction of around 300 hotels and multi-functional complexes with over 63,000 rooms is underway. An additional 40 year-round sites are planned, including water parks, ski resorts, and amusement parks.

The total volume of investment in these projects stands at approximately 1.6 trillion roubles, of which 1 trillion roubles comprises the subsidised loan portfolio. More than 50 such facilities are already welcoming guests.

Regions receive the so-called unified subsidy for the organisation of festivals, the enhancement of historic city centres, beaches and piers, as well as for tourist routes. For this year and the next, 9 billion roubles have been earmarked for each respective year. Funds are also allocated for the development of the engineering and transport infrastructure required to develop tourism clusters.

In recent years, considerable attention has been paid to urban development and the construction of roads. The President has underscored the necessity of synchronising tourism programmes with plans for the expansion of transport facilities, so that as many people as possible are able to utilise them and reach their desired destinations.

At the President's initiative, we are modernising the airfield infrastructure of 75 airports. Work is currently in progress at 38 of them, including here in Gorno-Altaisk, where we have reviewed this project first-hand. It will be a very attractive modern airport. I earnestly hope that as many people as possible will visit the region, and from Gorno-Altaisk continue their journeys across the Republic of Altai and the Altai Territory, as well as to neighbouring regions.

Improving transport accessibility is closely linked to the growth of an increasingly important segment: ecotourism, which has become highly popular now. A growing number of people wish to spend their leisure time actively - travelling with family and friends through the country's unique natural areas. Last year, over 22.5 million people visited such sites, a 25 percent increase on the previous year. Thanks to the development of well-equipped ecotrails, tourist routes, recreational zones, museums, and modern visitor centres in national parks, this type of holiday is no longer reserved for experienced travelers alone, but is now accessible to a much wider audience.

Altai is a prime example and one of the defining symbols of ecotourism. Its Golden Mountains of Altai are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the famous Chuysky Trakt (Chuya trunk road) is recognised as one of the most scenic roads in the world.

Almost every Russian region holds considerable potential in this field, and these areas undoubtedly warrant further development. There is, however, one fundamental prerequisite: respect for the natural environment. The growing number of visitors to these protected areas must not, of course, come at the expense of the ecosystem's balance.

Another key area is children's and youth tourism. What sets it apart from conventional holidays is its focus on helping young people discover more about their country, acquire new knowledge, broaden their social horizons, and explore potential career paths.

A range of programmes has been developed to this end, and we will be reviewing their implementation today.

We are doing everything in our power to ensure that schoolchildren and students can rest and recharge ahead of the new academic year.

Recently, we allocated 3 billion roubles to enable children of special military operation participants, children from large families, and those from families in difficult circumstances to spend their holidays at children's health centres on the coast of the Krasnodar Territory. This initiative will benefit 40,000 children.

I would also like to highlight patriotic tourism. Earlier today, I discussed with a colleague the importance of enabling as many children as possible to visit sites of significance across our homeland, alongside participants in the special military operation. This is an area that clearly needs further development, and we will take this forward upon our return to Moscow.

I would also like to touch on the tourism situation on the Crimean Peninsula. This year has proved challenging for tourism operators in Crimea and Sevastopol. We allocated 4.3 billion roubles in support, enabling them to retain their staff and sustain their operations, and we will, of course, continue this work.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entrepreneurs and residents of the peninsula as a whole, who demonstrated a remarkable sense of responsibility throughout this difficult period. They did not turn away from the holidaymakers who came to the Crimean coast, but instead offered them every possible assistance.

Much has already been achieved for the domestic tourism industry across the country. However, to ensure its stable and dynamic growth, there is still more to be done - so that people can travel comfortably and enjoyably throughout our beautiful country. Today, we will be discussing all matters relating to the expansion of domestic tourism opportunities and the development of modern infrastructure.

Maxim Reshetnikov: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues.

Overall, we remain on track to achieve the target of 140 million trips by 2030. We closed last year with modest growth in visitor numbers - just over 2 percent. That said, both indicators under the national tourism target - namely, the industry's contribution to GDP and exports of tourism services - were met. According to Rosstat, the number of tourist trips rose by 4.3 percent in the first six months of this year.

Nevertheless, we remain cautious in our projections. Against the backdrop of declining bookings over the summer season, we anticipate that by year-end we will post results broadly in line with last year's. The reasons are well understood, and I will not dwell on them.

We attribute further growth in tourist trips to the normalisation of external factors and the delivery of key programmes under the Tourism national project.

Support measures are already translating into concrete new projects. Since the launch of the national project, 70,000 new hotel rooms have been added across the country, and investment in accommodation facilities has nearly trebled, reaching 260 billion roubles by the end of last year. Under the preferential lending programme for large hotels, we have opened 46 properties with 10,000 rooms. By the end of this year, investors will bring a further 6,000 rooms to market.

A total of 109 projects are currently under construction, with another 140 hotels and resorts at the design stage. I should note that these figures refer only to projects supported by preferential financing; the overall pipeline is, of course, larger.

The Five Seas and Lake Baikal project, the modular hotel programme, and other measures that prioritise tourism - such as support programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises and treasury loans for infrastructure development - are also helping to alleviate the shortage of hotel rooms.

I would also highlight the role of the zero VAT rate in supporting the hotel sector. This was a crucial decision for the industry, including its extension through to 2030. Mr Prime Minister, I would like to express the industry's gratitude for that decision, which had your full backing.

We see the expansion of hotel room stock as intrinsically linked to the development of visitor attractions, so that there is not only somewhere to stay, but also a reason to come. Here, we are following the logic originally set out in the national project. We are creating small-scale regional facilities through a unified subsidy mechanism. Last year, 82 regions received 8.5 billion roubles. As you noted in your opening remarks, we are now allocating 9 billion roubles annually. These funds are used to co-finance the development of beaches, public spaces, navigation infrastructure, city tourist centres, and the hosting of events.

Importantly, we are also supporting large-scale tourist attraction projects through preferential loans. Our programme includes the construction of 22 water parks, 14 ski resorts, and four amusement parks. Five new water parks are already welcoming visitors in Tatarstan, Sevastopol, and the Moscow, Chelyabinsk, and Ulyanovsk regions, along with two ski resorts in the Chelyabinsk Region.

Beyond expanding room capacity, quality and affordability are equally important. Last year saw the implementation of the accommodation grading reform. All hotels were required to register via an electronic self-assessment service by 1 September last year. During the exhibition, my colleague from the Federal Accreditation Service, Dmitry Volvach, presented this information system. The vast majority of operators have now come into compliance. The register currently contains 31,000 categorised accommodation facilities, of which more than 15,000 were previously unregistered - these are the ones that have effectively emerged from the informal sector.

In total, we now have over 1 million rooms, and we are on track to meet the national project target for this indicator as well. Work to populate the register continues at the regional level, where oversight powers have been assigned.

I would also note that, since September last year, 9,300 properties from 17 regions have been included in the register as part of the guesthouse classification pilot.

As of 1 January, properties not included in the register are no longer permitted to provide services, and regional authorities are monitoring for compliance. Four more regions will join the pilot on 1 September this year, with Karachayevo-Circassia to follow. Thus, Mr Prime Minister, we have delivered on the instructions you issued at the last tourism meeting.

To ensure that tourist destinations can offer high-quality and safe services, we have reformed the professions of guide-interpreter and instructor-guide. There are now 22,000 such specialists with confirmed qualifications in the register. Furthermore, when selling services online, it is now mandatory to reference the specialist's registration number. We have also permitted students to work as tour guides following certification.

This provides significant human resources support for the industry, particularly given that a number of regions experience shortages of such specialists during peak season.

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Mikhail Mishustin: I believe this has been a substantive and thought-provoking discussion.

We are seeing booming development of the tourism industry across Russian regions: both small hotels and large all-season complexes are being built. Importantly, the range of destinations, types of holiday, and places to visit is becoming increasingly diverse, while transport infrastructure capabilities continue to expand.

We will maintain a favourable investment climate and clear regulatory frameworks, so that entrepreneurs in the tourism and hospitality sectors can launch more projects with confidence that their investments will yield returns.

Today, we have covered a wide range of issues. Thank you for your suggestions and initiatives, including those from representatives of industry organisations, which I propose we take forward in our work.

Many tourists visit nature reserves, museums, estates, and other historical and cultural sites during their travels, and they expect an engaging and informative experience. On this point, I agree with Irbizek Yerlenbayev. It is important that tour guides have priority access to such sites and specially protected natural areas, so that they can view authentic artefacts first-hand, study museum exhibits, and consult archival documents. This will enable them to prepare thoroughly for guided tours and develop new routes.

Turning to ecotourism, which is growing in popularity among travellers, we need to identify priority protected natural areas that are currently difficult to access, and explore ways to improve transport connectivity and introduce online permitting systems for visitors. Alexandra Yakovleva, Director of Kenozero National Park, raised this point.

On the subject of training personnel for the tourism industry: it is essential that college and university students acquire relevant knowledge and skills, which in turn requires ongoing updates to faculty expertise and active engagement from companies in the process. Alexander Biba spoke to this. I also found Alexei Gorensky's presentation very insightful. We need to consider mechanisms for regular industry placements for vocational teachers, and develop appropriate solutions in conjunction with tourism industry representatives through a dedicated working group.

I would also like us to consider the Ministry of Science and Higher Education's proposal regarding professional standards. The current confusion around job titles - such as chefs, managers and similar roles - needs to be resolved, and we should call things by their proper names. I am referring here to professional standards in the service and tourism sectors, as well as the implementation of appropriate measures to enhance teacher qualifications as part of the relevant national project.

In short, we must do everything in our power to ensure that people's expectations of travelling within the country are met - so that they want to return, or recommend the experience to friends and family, and are left with only pleasant and lasting memories.

As we develop tourism across our country, we must always be guided by public demand and take on board the views of industry representatives, in order to unlock what I would describe as the enormous potential of our Russian regions.

Thank you to the regional leaders present here today. We will task them with following up on all the proposals and initiatives that have been put forward.

I would also like to add a request we discussed with Ellady Antonov - concerning water issues in the Stavropol Territory - to the decision protocol.

Colleagues, thank you all. I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will increase the tourism industry's share of GDP to 5 percent. Most importantly, we will create attractive conditions for travel throughout our vast and beautiful country.