Finalist regions of the inbound tourism development programme "Discover Your Russia" will represent the country internationally
The results of the selection of finalist regions under the inbound tourism development programme "Discover Your Russia" were announced at an official event in Moscow. The programme is implemented by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives together with the Centre for Strategic Research, with the support of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, Rossotrudnichestvo and Cosmos Hotel Group. The programme shapes a modern model of inbound tourism, enhances the investment attractiveness of regions, creates new export niches, and strengthens Russia’s humanitarian presence on the international stage.
At the National Centre RUSSIA, representatives of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation presented their tourism products, after which the Expert Council identified 10 regions with the most promising projects.
These include the Tyumen region, the only region to have developed three tourism products simultaneously for key international markets – China, India, and Arab countries. The Altai Republic and the Altai region presented a joint interregional tourism route, while the Amur and Irkutsk regions created a cinema route based on the Russian–Chinese feature film "Red Silk". The Primorye region, in turn, developed a premium tourism route for Chinese tourists.
The list of finalists also includes the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area – Yugra, as well as the Murmansk, Sakhalin, and Tula regions.
These 10 regions will receive a comprehensive package of support measures. The Centre for Strategic Research will include the best tourism products in the international catalogue "Time to Travel" and ensure their participation in major international tourism expositions under the national tourism brand Discover Russia. In addition, these projects will be integrated into the Rossotrudnichestvo programme "New Generation", combined with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives programme "Incredible Adventures of Foreigners in Russia". This framework provides for expert evaluation of routes by foreign tour operators, journalists and opinion leaders, as well as promotion on international platforms and support in establishing partnerships.
The forum participants were welcomed by the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Chernyshenko: "As President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin emphasises, our tourism industry is reaching a new level and strengthening its appeal. Russia truly has enormous potential for the dynamic development of tourism: we have all climate zones, unique tourism routes, cultural and architectural landmarks, and extensive opportunities for leisure and wellness. More and more tourists from abroad are coming to our hospitable country, and your work will help attract even more foreign guests. As part of the programme, the teams have built a unified logic for creating a tourism product under the Discover Russia brand. It is capable of stimulating the inflow of tourists from other countries," he said.
According to him, the key achievement of the programme has been the development of interregional routes. The Deputy Chairman of the Government also added that promising tourism products are currently being identified that, by 2030, will help achieve the targets of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality" and make every journey across Russia unforgettable. Dmitry Chernyshenko thanked the participants of the large-scale survey that marked the launch of the programme "Discover Your Russia", noting that their expertise and vision helped create tourism products and solutions that are engaging and useful for foreign guests. He also expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Centre for Strategic Research, Rossotrudnichestvo, regional teams and all experts for their work.
"We have succeeded in bringing everyone together through the "Discover Your Russia" project. We feel strong support from the Government of Russia. This project would not have been possible without the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Centre for Strategic Research and Rossotrudnichestvo. I would also like to emphasise the strong involvement of the regions and the heads of all constituent entities. In addition, our long-standing partner, Cosmos Hotel Group, is actively helping regional teams acquire new competencies. I would like to stress that this is only the beginning, a starting point for our joint work as early as next year. I am confident that thanks to this project, millions of foreign tourists will discover the very Russia we want to show them," said the Director General of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, Svetlana Chupsheva.
Russia’s strength lies in its scale and diversity, said the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Maxim Reshetnikov.
"We need high-quality interregional routes. Regions are not competitors; they are partners in tourism development. This is exactly the type of cooperation we support and will promote under the single Discover Russia brand. Remember, you are creating not an excursion programme, but a business model. The most well-developed and high-quality products will receive direct support, including participation in international trade fairs, familiarisation tours for foreign operators, and promotion on social media and in the media," Maxim Reshetnikov noted.
Tourism is one of the most important aspects of humanitarian policy, said the Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Yevgeny Primakov.
"Tourism is a language. It is a tool that allows foreigners to get to know a country and come to love it. Our task is to help these tourists fall in love with our country – a country we love ourselves," Yevgeny Primakov said.
According to him, Rossotrudnichestvo and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives have many ideas and projects. He also reminded participants of the presidential programme "New Generation", under which young professionals come to Russia. Yevgeny Primakov said that, together with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the agency plans to bring several hundred young professionals in tourism, representatives of tourism companies, business bloggers and journalists to Russia – people who will be able to visit the regions and get to know the country firsthand.
"We will do everything possible, together with the regions, to inspire them and show the beauty and uniqueness of our country. Our goal is for them to fall in love with Russia, return home and talk about how beautiful it is, so that more and more people want to come here. Russia is one of the most hospitable countries. If we speak about our brands and what we can surprise people with, alongside Tchaikovsky, Dostoevsky and Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, it is, of course, our hospitality. This is exactly what we intend to demonstrate to people," Yevgeny Primakov added.
The Director General of the Centre for Strategic Research, Pavel Smelov, thanked representatives of the entire tourism industry for their active participation in the project and in the expert evaluation process.
"We work with many target countries on inbound tourism development. They all differ in terms of religion, gastronomic preferences, expectations of experiences, and requirements for comfort and digital services. That is why it is important for regions to determine which national market they are creating a tourism product for and how ready their businesses and infrastructure are for this. We will help establish sustainable and reliable B2B contacts. Quality is essential – not just quantitative indicators, but qualitative ones, so that tourists return again and again," Pavel Smelov emphasised.
