The inflow of foreign tourists to Russia increased by 36% in January 2026 year-on-year, Russia's Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov said at a meeting of the ministry’s board.
"Recent data from Rosstat show that this year in January alone, the number of foreign guests in collective accommodation facilities grew by 36% compared to January last year," Maxim Reshetnikov said.
According to the minister, inbound tourist traffic increased by 12% last year to 5 mln visitors. Overall, the number of tourist trips across Russia in 2025 is expected to reach 94 mln.
He recalled that a number of important decisions were adopted last year to bring the sector out of the shadow economy - primarily the reform of the accommodation classification system.
Work is currently underway on draft legislation on guest houses to extend the new regulatory framework nationwide while allowing regions the option of whether to implement it, Reshetnikov added.
