Published on: 2026-06-10
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov acted as moderators of the plenary session of the VI International Tourism Forum “Travel!”. It was dedicated to the theme “Time to travel: a variety of experiences accessible to everyone.”
In the business program of the VI International Tourism Forum “Travel!”, more than 2,500 participants from all regions of Russia were announced, and in total, 5,000 are participating in the event. We also welcomed guests from more than 50 foreign countries. For the first time, China is participating in the forum, and despite all difficulties, we are glad to once again welcome representatives from Cuba. Tourism erases borders, breaks stereotypes, gives new impressions and emotions, contributes to broadening horizons and self-development. I am sure that at VDNH from June 10 to 14 there will be an atmosphere of positivity, hospitality, and Russian hospitality.”And of course, it is important that tours at attractive prices will be offered, as well as hundreds of travel ideas that can be realized this year,” noted Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that the forum is being held in the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia, declared by the decree of President Vladimir Putin.
“Today it has been repeatedly said that tourism unites and improves the quality of life of our people. And this is not only new hotels and roads, which are also very important, but also the confidence of a person in the fact that in his own country he can find everything necessary to be happy. And in our country, all this exists! It’s time to travel – not just a slogan. This is our common choice in favor of discoveries, impressions, new meanings,” Dmitry Chernyshenko said.
Maksim Reshetnikov emphasized that today Russian tourism has truly become diverse: it includes day trips to neighboring cities, tourist trains where transport becomes part of the journey, and even short reload programs in one’s own city, when people simply settle in a hotel to change the environment.
“Over five years of implementing the national project ‘Tourism and Hospitality,’ we have achieved significant results. More than 9 thousand rooms in hotels and motels have been introduced, over 10 thousand rooms in glamping sites, and by the end of the year, about 6 thousand more will appear. But the main thing is not the numbers, but millions of tourist trips, new jobs, and, most importantly, millions of vivid impressions, smiles, and emotions. Behind each such result is a huge amount of work by the regions, businesses, and the federal team. Thanks to everyone who makes Russian tourism accessible, bright, and diverse.”Ahead lie even more tasks: to use infrastructure more efficiently, to improve the accessibility of locations, to build integrated products – from ski resorts to guest houses, from federal carriers to taxi drivers. “This depends on each of us,” the minister said.
At the plenary session with reports, key representatives of the tourism industry spoke. About the development of tourist routes in small towns spoke the governor of Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin; about the prospects of railway tourism — the deputy general director of JSC “Russian Railways” Ivan Kolesnikov.The managing director of the Hyatt hotel chain, Svetlana Tyumentseva, shared her experience in creating a hotel as an independent tourist product, and the general director of JSC Caucasus.RF, Andrey Yumshanov, spoke about the development of ski resorts in the Caucasus and the creation of a comfortable tourist environment for the entire region. Pavel Alyoshin, general director of LLC Yandex.Verticals, presented digital tools for promoting regional tourism products, and Dmitry Filyakov, first deputy general director of the Altai Pelas group of companies, shared the experience of developing the room fund of the Siberian Coin Resort in Altai.General Director of LLC “Vodosvod” Rishat Bagautdinov spoke about the development of river cruise tourism and the transformation of water travel into an independent tourist product, and the invited travel blogger and entrepreneur Mark Yeremin shared his views on tools for promoting regional tourism through modern media.
During the plenary session, viewers could ask questions to the speakers via a QR code. The authors of the most interesting questions were rewarded with gifts – which were also presented at the end of the session.
Dmitry Chernyshenko and Maksim Reshetnikov awarded lapel pins of the Ministry of Economic Development “For Contribution to the Development of Tourism” to industry representatives from various regions of the country. The awards were received by the honorary president of the Russian Union of the Tourism Industry, board member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Sergey Shpilko, president of JSC “Central Council on Tourism and Recreation” Viktor Pugiev, landscaper of the sanatorium “Altai Castle” Marina Poletaeva, corporate sales sector manager of LLC “Turcenter” Alina Afanasyeva, and Minister of Tourism and Industry of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Sergey Yakovlev.The general director of LLC “TC “Intercontact-Service”, Dmitry Shevchenko, received a letter of gratitude from the Ministry of Economic Development.
Dmitry Chernyshenko also welcomed the participants of the State Council Commission meeting on the direction of “Tourism”.
“The key topic of the meeting is inbound tourism. This is not only an important economic task but also an instrument of soft power, a way of shaping Russia’s objective image in the world. We see a stable interest in Russian destinations despite unprecedented external pressure. Over the last two years and a half, the inbound tourist flow has increased. We have reoriented to new markets in the Middle East and Asia. From January to April of this year, Russia was visited by 1.6 million foreign tourists, which is almost 30% more than the same period last year,” emphasized the Deputy Prime Minister.
At the meeting, three strategic blocks of issues were discussed: transport connectivity and logistics, digitalization and visa simplifications, the creation of a “packaged” tourist product. Dmitry Chernyshenko called for special attention to be paid to the regions of the Far East, Siberia, and the country’s traditional centers of attraction concerning domestic travel.
He also said that the launch of the electronic visa was an important step, appreciated by many countries. The expansion of the visa-free regime with key partners continues. In the past year – China, Oman, Saudi Arabia. Next in line – Indonesia, Malaysia, Kuwait. The Deputy Prime Minister noted the desire to help businesses implement clear, quality programs that will acquaint guests with the unique nature, culture, and historical heritage of Russia.At the same time, the Government of Russia is ready to provide necessary support to foreign entrepreneurs who invest in the creation of high-quality inbound tourism infrastructure. There are also requests for the development of cross-border routes: the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at SPIEF-2026 proposed launching a creative-tourism corridor between Samarkand and Saint Petersburg. Dmitry Chernyshenko also noted the great prospects for implementing such projects with China, Belarus, and other friendly countries.
The meeting was attended by the chairman of the commission, the governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Khabarovsk Krai, the head of the subgroup “Safety and protection of tourists” of the commission Dmitry Demeshin, the governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the head of the subgroup “Transport in the tourism industry” of the commission Vladislav Kuznetsov, the governor of Oryol Oblast, the head of the working group for the development of ecological tourism of the commission Andrey Klychkov, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vasilyukov, as well as the heads of other regions, representatives of ministries, agencies, and profileinstitutions.
Note that the VI International Tourism Forum “Travel!” will take place from June 10 to 14 at VDNH in Moscow. The organizer is the “Roscongress” Foundation together with the Ministry of Economic Development with the support of the Government of Russia and the Committee on Tourism of the city of Moscow.
Please note; this information is raw content, received directly from the source of information. It represents an accurate report of what the source asserts and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.