- Статьи
- Tourism
- Closer to the Middle East: the flow of tourists from Arab countries to Russia is growing
Closer to the Middle East: the flow of tourists from Arab countries to Russia is growing
The tourist flow to Russia from the Middle East is expected to grow by at least 60% this year. Last fall, the following figures were announced: 11 times more guests came from Saudi Arabia, six times more from Kuwait, four times more from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and one third more from Iran. Oman is next in line. Russia and the Sultanate have agreed on the mutual abolition of visas, and Oman Air has announced that it will fly to Moscow in the summer. Experts are confident that there will be more guests from Oman on flights than Russians. It is planned to sign a visa-free agreement with Jordan soon. An increase in tourist traffic is also expected in both directions. About what Russia is interesting to guests from Arab countries, which regions they travel to, what problems they face and how much money they bring, in the Izvestia article.
Organic dynamic tourist flow
"In 2024, the Middle East region became the most dynamic in terms of tourist trips to Russia," said Sergey Voitovich, CEO of Svoi TS.
According to Space Travel, the Emirates accounts for up to 90% of inbound tourist traffic. The main positive factors here are the visa-free regime (UAE citizens can stay in Russia for up to 90 days without a visa), as well as extensive transportation volumes. The company confirmed that Saudi Arabia is the second largest market, followed by Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. "The tourist flow is really growing, and basically it can be described as organic. That is, tourists are riding on the wave of positive feedback from other guests," the company said.
Russia, according to Dmitry Arutyunov, CEO of Art-Tour, is becoming more popular, including due to business ties. "We cooperate in the oil, gas and other fields, many of our citizens are vacationing in these countries, and they also invest in real estate. The Middle East is becoming such a hub for Russian business. Arabs are increasingly seeing Russians in their country, starting to make friends, establish business relationships, and, of course, they are interested in visiting the country they hear so much about," explains Dmitry Harutyunov.
Russia is also attracted by its climate. "This is especially true for visitors from these countries, because it gets hot there in the summer,― said the CEO of the Art company.―Tour" Dmitry Arutyunov. ― I'm in Oman right now, and it's already about 40 degrees Celsius. Of course, local non-poor citizens try to spend a hot summer somewhere and travel."
Snow, northern lights, downhill skiing are also a kind of "chips", exotic things that attract to our country.
The starting point ― Sochi
In addition, Russia, as Space Travel clarified, conducts quite active marketing in this region. For example, a delegation of representatives of the tourism industry from the Middle East is currently in Sochi. Far from the first, the resort is in high demand. "Our AMOS (Sochi) Hoteliers Association hosted promotional tours from Bahrain last summer, we showed Matsesta, some of our resorts, sanatoriums, and the guests were delighted," said Dmitry Bogdanov, chairman of the AMOS (Sochi) Expert Council.
Of course, Moscow remains the main entry point. "Almost 100% of travelers from the Middle East come to the capital. This is due to both the flight programs of the carriers and the general popularity of the city. The second most popular is St. Petersburg―St. Petersburg," Space Travel noted. However, planes from Sochi to the countries of the Middle East fly "very well," representatives of the local tourism industry say.
From May 29, the UAE national carrier Etihad Airways will begin flying to the resort from Abu Dhabi, Air Arabia (UAE) will open the Sochi - Sharjah route from June 27, and the day before that, Jazeera Airways flights from Kuwait should appear. Last year, Gulf Air launched charters from Bahrain for inbound tourists only. And this is not to mention flights between the resort and Dubai on the wings of Flydubai and Russian airlines.
"If 4-5 planes with Arab tourists flew to Sochi every week in 2024, then in 2025 there will be at least 20 weekly flights with tourists from these countries," Sergey Voitovich said. According to him, the development of Sochi as a hub for tourists from Arab countries with the popularization of the resort and as a starting point for combined tours of the country is the main trend of 2025. Tourists are attracted by the opportunity to relax both in the mountains and on the coast, a rich excursion program and the opportunity to combine Sochi with visits to Dagestan, Chechnya, St. Petersburg, Moscow.
Not only halal
"There are a number of features for the tourist market of the Islamic world: they travel in large organized groups, stay in 4-5* hotels, and the average rest period is 7 nights. But there are requests for long―term stays in the summer, when it is very hot in Arab countries, and, for example, it is comfortable in the mountains of Sochi," said the press service of Vasta Hotel Management, whose Erbelia from Vasta hotel, located on Rosa Khutor, is one of the first in Russia. He received a Muslim Friendly certificate from the Roskachestvo ― Halal certification body.
The topic, by the way, is not an easy one. "The external training lasted 6 months, it dealt with the norms of Islamic law and their application in the hotel business," the press service said. ― The standards pay great attention to the uniform of the hotel staff and their appearance. Deep cutouts are not allowed. It is necessary to provide clothing with a loose (non-tight) cut, with long sleeves. It is important that employees are knowledgeable about Islamic issues. Know forbidden (haram) foods, understand basic religious terms."
Rooms should be equipped in a special way, and this is not just an indication of Mecca. You can not hang paintings with images of human body shapes and animals, the bathroom should have a bidet, a hygienic shower or a watering can, the choice of TV channels provided in the rooms should not include channels "for adults".
The Quran, prayer mats should be provided upon request. One more caveat: clean women's prayer clothes should also be provided upon request, but men's ones do not need to be provided.
However, this is a plus for the hotel, but not a prerequisite. In Sochi, according to Dmitry Bogdanov, guests from the Persian Gulf countries are actively accepted by hotels that do not have a certificate, and they have good experience working with the market. "In Moscow, tourists often prefer to book a 5* near the Kremlin. We have a lot of applications at Carlton, Kempinski, The St.Regis," Space Travel said.
Shortage of hotels and staff
The problem is that there are not enough hotels in general. The geography of travel in Russia for tourists from the Middle East is expanding. "But if we travel outside major cities, we don't have many hotels that really match the high standard they are used to at home," Dmitry Arutyunov explained.
"I'm flying out of Makhachkala now, everything is ready here. Dagestan is very actively promoting the topic of tourism, but only Azimut is represented among the hotel brands so far," explained Marina Levchenko, CEO of Tari―Tour. ― Yes, there are many high-level private hotels with reasonable prices where you can accommodate rich Arab guests. But in high season, there may be a shortage of such places. It's easier in Kazan. There are more hotels, including well-known chains. But now the city is filled with Russians. We, the tour operators at the entrance, are anxiously waiting for the flow of foreign tourists to begin. There are no problems with this in St. Petersburg and Moscow, there are enough hotels there to separate the flows, and in cities like Kazan and Makhachkala, we need to think about this topic."
Dmitry Bogdanov raised another question. "It is reasonable to allow foreign students to work in hotels and sanatoriums under study contracts. Take a look at China: young people from the countries where tourists come from are specially invited to Hainan. Thirty or fifty people are not many, but their presence creates a bridge between cultures, facilitating mutual understanding. We have already started negotiations with the Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of the Krasnodar Territory. Unfortunately, our legislation is not so flexible yet, but I believe that the governor will consider this idea. After all, the opportunity to hire foreigners, especially in marketing and reception, will contribute to the development of tourism," he said.
Traditional guided tours or wow activities
According to experts, guests from Arab countries have no problems with leisure in Russia. On the one hand, according to Dmitry Arutyunov, the cultural component is one of the points of attraction. Guests are happy to go on excursions to the Moscow Kremlin and the Hermitage, on the other hand, the tourist feature is "fewer excursions, more relaxing moments."
"At most, they can take a sightseeing tour of Moscow with Red Square and Vorobyovy Gory. Tourists are much more interested in wow activity. Husky parks, themed places like Island of Dreams, are often visited by the Moscow Circus," Space Travel said.
In Sochi, Vasta Hotel Management said, tourists prefer walking along mountain trails and sightseeing tours of natural attractions. And of course, casinos are in demand.
However, Sergey Voitovich noted that traditional excursions, if they are prepared taking into account the specifics of clients, are interesting for tourists from Arab countries. We need to spend more time walking in parks and a little time telling stories about palaces and the history of Russia. Then the guests really like such excursions as, for example, to the Kolomenskoye and Tsaritsyno nature reserves in Moscow, the parks and palaces of St. Petersburg, Tsarskoye Selo, and Peterhof.
Shopping and halal
Tourists from the Middle East also actively visit shopping. "The capital's Aviapark is generally mandatory, they love expensive brands," Space Travel emphasized.
"Despite all the sanctions and other things, we have a lot of interesting things for them in terms of shopping, including domestic designers, some antique items, and just traditional Russian souvenirs," said Dmitry Arutyunov.
According to Sergey Voitovich, the check of tourists from the Middle East, as a rule, is much higher than the average, and they spend at least one of the days in Russia on shopping.
Restaurants are also very popular. At the same time, the company clarified, there are no problems with their visit, and halal is not always the main requirement. More often it is simple enough that there is no pork.
But for many guests, halal is still a very important factor, and there are many nuances, not just meat. However, halal restaurants are actively developing in Russia, faster than hotels with such specifics. For example, on the website of the Halal Standard Committee under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, there are 48 hotels in the register of enterprises with a Halal certificate.
"We have, for example, the Vostochny Quarter cafe, a place where halal cuisine is kept in strict compliance with Eastern canons, while remaining accessible to most tourists. Although, of course, it's not difficult to find similar places in Sochi," Bogdanov added, " Dmitry Bogdanov noted.
Problems: money, visas, flights
But there are difficulties with paying for shopping, restaurants, and other entertainment, given the situation with bank cards. "The receiving companies are trying to solve this story with the help of anonymized credit cards for the duration of tourists' stay in Russia, links through which they can pay for a service or product," Dmitry Arutyunov said. But still the problems with payment have not been solved. Most often, guests from the Middle East come with cash dollars or dirhams.
At the same time, tours to Russia are not cheap. The average check is about $1,500 per person without a flight.
According to experts, a systematic marketing policy is needed to increase the tourist flow. According to Sergey Voitovich, the tourist flow from the Middle East to Sochi this year will grow 10 times compared to what it was in 2024. The reason: support from the regional authorities and joint promotion of the region.
We also need to expand transportation volumes and further ease visa procedures for Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. For example, visa-free travel with Oman has already had an effect. "In mid-May, together with Pulkovo Airport, we are hosting a fan trip with tour operators from Oman, who, after the visa regime was lifted, considered that Russia was becoming a promising destination for their clients," said Sergey Voitovich.
Electronic visas are, of course, fast enough, but their cost is about $ 50, plus registration within 4 days eliminates the possibility of spontaneous bookings (last minute). A small fraction, but by no means superfluous.
There is another problem with visas. "The richest tourists travel with their staff (1-3 people). Expats from Syria, Egypt, and Pakistan. It is quite a long procedure for them to apply for a visa to Russia. This limits the flow of rich clients," said Sergey Voitovich.
The expert recalled that despite the large number of flights and the active development of flights between Russia and the countries of the Middle East, there are still no direct flights between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia, and Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the region with huge potential for inbound tourism to our country.
Grateful customers
"Tourists from the Middle East are very grateful customers, they come often and spend a lot. Therefore, I think our country should develop a tourism business for Arab visitors. This is a very profitable business for them and for us. And it helps to strengthen friendship and ties between our countries," Dmitry Arutyunov said.
Sergey Voitovich noted that 95% of the guests from the Middle East are satisfied with the service, want to return and recommend trips to their friends.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
