More than half a million guests from 20 countries around the world visited the Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" at the RUSSIA EXPO

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From June 12 to 16, the IV Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" — the main event in the tourism and hospitality sector — took place at the RUSSIA EXPO venue. This year, according to the decree signed by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, the Forum received annual status.

"Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. The state and businesses are creating conditions for affordable and comfortable recreation within the country. The 'Let’s Travel!' Forum brought together experts and participants to outline further paths for tourism development and to tell visitors more about our Motherland, its unique places. The Forum became a grand event, gathering over 3,000 participants from all corners of our country and 20 foreign countries. The number of guests visiting the venue exceeded half a million — ten times more than last year. Over 3,500 people took advantage of special offers and promotions available to Exposition guests. The growing interest in domestic travel contributes to achieving the goal set by the President of Russia to increase tourist flow to 140 million trips per year by 2030," said Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Over the course of five days, more than 500,000 guests participated in the business and festival programs, including representatives from 20 foreign countries. Among them were Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, Iran, Cuba, Myanmar, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Tanzania and the Republic of Belarus.

The exposition featured more than 85 participants, representing all 89 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

"Domestic tourism, which has received significant impetus in recent years, is particularly important for Russia. In this context, state support and investments in tourism infrastructure are considered priority tasks. The government is actively working to create favorable conditions for tourism development, which includes improving transport accessibility, developing the hotel industry, as well as financial incentives for investors," noted the Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation, responsible Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" Anton Kobyakov.

Festival guests could also visit the stands of foreign guests, such as Uzbekistan, Cuba and Thailand. Given the broad international representation, international tourism became one of the main topics of the IV Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!".

The business program opened with a plenary session titled "International Tourism. Russia and the World", where issues of attracting foreign tourists to Russia and the initial results of promoting Russia's tourism potential in foreign markets were discussed.

The plenary session also addressed simplifying visa procedures - improving the electronic visa mechanism, visa-free exchanges with tourists from China and Iran, negotiations with other countries, as well as increasing the number of direct flights.

"The format of the 'Let’s Travel!' Forum allows establishing contacts with international partners, presenting new tour products, and receiving feedback from foreign guests. The Forum has become an authoritative platform for discussing industry development issues, investments, including foreign ones, conducting working groups that have reached a number of important agreements. This year, all regions of the country presented their opportunities and new tourism products here, and foreign guests and residents of our country saw the diversity of culture and history from different parts of Russia," stated Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov.

As part of the business program, a meeting of the Ministry of Economic Development with representatives of the domestic tourism business — an open dialogue based on the results of strategic sessions held by the Russian Union of Travel Industry — took place.

At the meeting, Maxim Reshetnikov reported on the implemented measures within the roadmap for transforming the business climate in tourism and new initiatives planned to supplement the document. This work aims to remove unnecessary barriers for businesses.

Key events of the business program also included a meeting of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation with heads of regional tourism authorities and bilateral meetings with foreign partners in the format of working groups and commissions, including Uzbekistan.

Forum participants paid significant attention to infrastructure development and the creation of new tourism products.

A round table organized by ATOR was dedicated to national tourist routes, discussing best practices for forming interregional national tourist routes.

As part of the business program, a session titled "Ski Resorts: Investments in Future Infrastructure and Business Stability. Creating Innovative Trends in the Industry", organized by the "MOUNTAINS OF RUSSIA" ecosystem, took place. Experts discussed practical development issues in the skiing industry, emphasizing the significant role of government support measures, legislative attention to systemic industry issues, and shared best ideas and experiences in developing tour products for ski resorts.

During the Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!", 12 agreements and 1 memorandum of cooperation were signed at ceremonial events.

This year, the festival program of the Forum was extensive, providing an exciting adventure for visitors with numerous engaging events and unique opportunities to explore the tourism potential of Russia and other countries. Multimedia stands, festival grounds and gastronomic areas allowed guests to immerse themselves in the unique cultures of Russia's indigenous peoples and learn about the characteristics of different regions. For example, the Tyumen region invited visitors to a thermal bar zone - an ideal place for relaxation, the Republic of Bashkortostan delighted with national music and delicious national sweets, the Ryazan region introduced ancient pottery, the Kuzbass stand presented national tourist routes "Kuzbass in the Heart" and "Mountain Shoria. To the Children of the Taiga", showcasing two leading taiga destinations - Sheregesh and Mezhdurechensk, and offered insights into the development of Shor shamanism through a genuine leather ceremonial tambourine. A delegation from Udmurtia presented a unique journey to Tchaikovsky's homeland. Foreign colleagues were equally active: Uzbekistan introduced its rich culture and treated visitors to traditional bread and fruits, Thailand's delegation enticed with unknown tourist spots, and representatives from Cuba shared their country's history and major attractions.

On the main stage of VDNH, performances included the Slavs folk song ensemble from the Smolensk region, Krasnoyarsk's dance ensemble "Yenisei Dawns" named after G.M. Petukhov with a dance number staged by Merited Artist of the Russian Federation Igor Gorlov, the "Uslada" ensemble from the Vladimir region and singer Irina Kiskorova from the Kemerovo region, a master of ancient throat singing "kai". Audiences also witnessed an exhilarating lezginka performed by dancers from Dagestan.

Upon the directive of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko, a mobile guidebook with discounts and special offers from Forum participants was developed this year. For the first time in the history of the Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!", guests had the opportunity to purchase tours across Russia at favorable rates directly at the venue.

The IV Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" concluded with the Days of Youth, which were held on June 15 and 16. The business program featured 22 thematic tracks in 4 main blocks: "Hospitality Work", "Business in Tourism", "Travel Blogging", and "Youth Travel". Over 1000 participants attended the Days of Youth, including representatives from federal executive bodies, regional tourism authorities, universities, tour operators and other industry companies. Together with young professionals and students, they discussed building successful careers in tourism, practices for starting businesses and tour products, as well as new opportunities for youth tourism in Russia.

The Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" was organized by the Roscongress Foundation, with official support from the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, ANO "National Priorities", Centre for Strategic Developments and leading industry associations.

Title Partner: PJSC Tatneft named after V.D. Shashin

General Partner: MSP Corporation

Official Partner: Cosmos Hotel Group

Investment Partner: CJSC KAVKAZ.RF

Official Bank: PJSC Sberbank

Transport Partner: Modern Transport Technologies Group of Companies

Partners: JSC Bank DOM.RF, JSC VDNH

National Partner: PJSC AvtoVAZ

Strategic Partner: Saint Petersburg

Region Partner: Tyumen region

Festival Partners: Yaroslavl region, Mira Group LLC

Business Program Partners: Centre for Strategic Developments, ANO Development Agency of Monchegorsk, PJSC Rostelecom, 4 Paws

Arctic Partner: Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area

Communication Partner: Maer Media Holding

Organizational Partners: Vladimirsky Hotel, PJSC NK Rosneft, Carsharing Service CityDrive, Tour Operator Igora Tour (Perm City), Mountains of Russia, Rosmolodezh "More than a Trip" program, FaceBank, Holding Aqua, Barry Brioche

Official Hotel Partners: Apart-Hotel Hanoi-Moscow, Cosmos Hotel Group, Safmar Hotels

Days of Youth Partner: Rosmolodezh "More than a Trip" program.

Detailed information about the Russian Tourism Forum "Let’s Travel!" available on the official website: rustravelforum.com.