Analysts have called Russian cemeteries popular places among foreigners

Middle-aged wealthy foreign tourists show an increased interest in excursions to the historical cemeteries of Moscow and St. Petersburg, while Troekurovskoye, Volkovskoye and Smolenskoye cemeteries are the most popular. This was reported on November 11 by RIA Novosti with reference to a study by the T2 telecom operator.

"Middle-aged and high-income foreigners are most interested in memorial tourism. In addition to the CIS countries, the largest number of travelers are from Turkey, Myanmar, Sweden, China and the United States," the study notes.

According to analytical data, the three most popular cemeteries in Moscow and St. Petersburg account for 63% of all visits by foreign tourists. The researchers note a direct relationship between the income level of tourists and their interest in memorial tourism, which can be explained both by the cost of excursions and differences in cultural preferences.

Since 2023, the famous Russian necropolises have been visited by guests from 153 countries. Among the non—obvious tourists are citizens of Kuwait, Samoa, Chile and New Zealand, the researchers report.

Statistics show that foreigners aged 35-44 years visit cemeteries most often, and men show 1.7 times more interest in such excursions than women. The peak attendance in 2025 occurred in July, while in August and September, the demand for memorial tours decreased by 25%.

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According to the financial marketplace "Compare", which was reviewed by Izvestia on November 7, the average cost of policies for travelers in Russia decreased by 5% in the first nine months of 2025 and amounted to 2024 rubles. At the same time, sales of insurance products increased by 14% year-on-year, and China entered the top 3 destinations for Russian tourists for the first time.

According to statistics from the marketplace, the abolition of the visa regime between Russia and China has had a noticeable impact on the consumer behavior of tourists. In particular, the share of sales of insurance policies issued for trips to China increased by 15% compared to the same period last year. Currently, the country is second in popularity only to Turkey and the states of the Schengen area.

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