In an interview with ET, Kozlov, who is also chairman of Moscow City Tourism Committee said that this agreement is expected to boost tourist numbers from India by at least 30%.
Additionally, Russian federal officials are developing a project to provide virtual cards for Indian travellers before they depart from India. Kozlov explained, “The issue of non-cash payments for travellers in Russia is a key point for our federal government. My federal partners are working on a project to enable virtual cards for Indian travellers while they are in India before coming to Russia.”
He added that travellers might be able to obtain virtual cards from an Indian bank before leaving for Russia, and upon arrival at their hotel, they would receive a physical card from a Russian banking partner. The virtual card system is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
Moscow has become one of the top destinations for tourists in 2023, with 2.3 million visitors last year. The number of travellers from India alone exceeded 60,000, representing a 25% increase compared to the previous year.
Kozlov said that Indians are among the top foreign tourists that Moscow aims to attract. To support this growth, the city is focusing on developing event tourism, as outlined in the Moscow Tourism Development Program until 2030. Experts estimate that event tourism will attract approximately 7.3 million guests to Moscow, with many expected to be from India.
Currently, the top tourist markets for Moscow are India, China, Turkey, and the UAE, with Indians being among the top five travellers using the e-visa to visit the city.
