Indian tourists will soon have the opportunity to visit Russia without a visa, potentially as early as spring 2025. Evgeny Kozlov, Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, believes this agreement will significantly increase the number of Indian visitors to the Russian capital.
In an interview with The Economic Times, Kozlov stated, “It is predicted that thanks to the agreement, which is now under development, the number of travellers from India coming to the Russian capital will significantly increase.” He emphasized that Moscow continues to attract Indian tourists.
India has already become a major market for Russia, with over 28,500 Indian travellers visiting Moscow in the first half of 2024—a 1.5 times increase from the same period last year. “In the first half of 2024, 28,500 Indian travellers visited the Russian capital, which is 1.5 times more than in the same period last year,” he noted.
In 2023, India ranked among the top non-CIS countries in terms of visitors to Moscow, with more than 60,000 tourists, reflecting a 26% rise from 2022. “In 2023, India entered the list of leaders in terms of the number of travellers coming to Moscow among non-CIS countries. Over the entire year, more than 60,000 travellers from India visited the Russian capital, which also exceeded the figures for 2022 by 26%,” he added.
Business and work-related travel are the primary reasons for Indian citizens visiting Moscow. In the first quarter of 2024, India was the third-largest source of business tourists from non-CIS countries. “In the first quarter of this year, India was in third place among visitors from non-CIS countries for the number of business tourists. The Moscow authorities consider India one of their priority markets, given the long-standing and time-tested relationship between the two nations,” he explained.
Currently, Indian nationals can apply for e-visas, which are processed within four days. Last year, India ranked among the top five countries for e-visa issuance, with 9,500 electronic visas granted, accounting for 6% of all e-visas issued to foreigners visiting Russia. In January of this year, approximately 1,700 electronic visas were issued to Indian tourists.
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According to Kozlov, Moscow has become an “important centre” for event and business tourism, hosting year-round festivals, exhibitions, summits, and conferences. He has previously mentioned that the Russian capital aims to attract more Indian weddings and plans to increase its hotel room availability by 25,700 rooms by 2030.