Indians will soon be able to travel to Russia visa-free, Moscow expects 30% surge in Indian tourists

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published May 24, 2024, 2:05 PM IST

Evgeny Kozlov, Moscow's first deputy head, anticipates a surge in Indian tourist arrivals facilitated by a new visa-free group travel agreement, coupled with the introduction of virtual cards for pre-travel non-cash payments.

Evgeny Kozlov, Moscow's first deputy head of the office of the mayor and the government, is optimistic about a notable surge in Indian tourist arrivals to the city. This positivity stems from ongoing negotiations between India and Russia for a new visa-free group travel agreement.

In a discussion with Economic Times, Kozlov, also serving as the chairman of Moscow City Tourism Committee, mentioned that this agreement is poised to elevate Indian tourist footfall in Moscow by a minimum of 30%.

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Furthermore, Russian federal authorities are actively working on a project to issue virtual cards to Indian travelers prior to their departure from India.

"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," Kozlove told ET.

He elaborated that travelers may potentially obtain virtual cards through an Indian bank prior to their journey to Russia. Upon reaching their hotel in Moscow, they would receive a physical card from a Russian banking partner. This virtual card system is slated to be operational by year-end.

In 2023, Moscow emerged as one of the premier tourist destinations, hosting 2.3 million visitors. Notably, the influx of Indian travelers surpassed 60,000, marking a 25% increase from the previous year.

Kozlov emphasized that Indians rank among Moscow's priority foreign tourists. To bolster this trend, the city is emphasizing the development of event tourism, a key component of the Moscow Tourism Development Program until 2030. Projections indicate that event tourism will draw around 7.3 million visitors to Moscow, with a significant portion expected to originate from India.

At present, the leading tourist markets for Moscow include India, China, Turkey, and the UAE, with Indians ranking among the top five nationalities utilizing the e-visa system to explore the city.

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