Have a good rest: The regions indicate a shortage of personnel in tourism
In 2025, Russia's regional tourism showed growth for the second year in a row, according to a year-end study provided to Izvestia by the Tutu service. The forecast for 2026 is also optimistic, but most of the regions participating in the survey point to common problems: logistical and infrastructural problems, as well as a shortage of trained personnel. Experts are confident that a dialogue between business and the state is necessary for further stable development.
Growth drivers: rich heritage and government support
A total of 48 regions from different federal districts participated in the survey "Tourism Development in the regions: results of 2025 and trends of 2026". Almost 90% (89.7%) of them noted an increase in tourist traffic in their regions in 2025, which is only slightly less than in 2024. The average growth was 10-21%, according to the study. The highest was shown by the Vladimir, Kostroma, Rostov, Sakhalin regions (21-30%), Ryazan Region and the Chechen Republic (31-40%). The Vologda Oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia showed record growth of more than 50%.
In 2026, the majority of respondents expect positive trends to continue, with the regions predicting growth of 8-17% on average, while the Vladimir, Vologda, Rostov, Sakhalin Regions, and the Republic of Mordovia expect 21-30%, and Kalmykia — 31-40%.
"The results of the study demonstrate that Russian regional tourism has significant potential," emphasizes Natalia Anisimova, Director of Partner Communications Development at the travel service and creator of Mediarazvedka.
Active government support, according to her, remains a key driver.
The press service of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation complements the promising picture with data on preferential loans, which have already managed to launch 344 projects for 73,000 rooms across the country; 34 hotels with 7.2 thousand beds have already been commissioned.
— The geography of the projects covers the entire country from the North Caucasus to Sakhalin, — the press service of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation clarifies.
They particularly drew attention to a single subsidy of 8.5 billion rubles for 82 regions for the growth of tourist trips.
Barriers to entry: how infrastructure and human resources are slowing down the boom
Separately, the study drew attention to barriers to the development of tourism, including against the background of the projected growth in tourist traffic. Among the most common were the shortage and deterioration of infrastructure, the complexity and high cost of logistics, including the high cost of air travel and poor quality of domestic roads, staff shortages and a shortage of trained personnel, as well as a lack of motivated investors and business passivity. And, as a result, the overall poor quality of services does not meet the expectations of tourists.
At the same time, such barriers have local specifics, it follows from the research materials. In the Udmurt Republic, this is "the absence of "tourist magnets" that increase the competitiveness of the region (water park, year-round botanical garden, children's leisure and entertainment center, cable car)", in Vyborg, Leningrad region — overturism, in Yamal and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug — problems with accessibility and logistics, in the Vladimir region — the absence of an airport, and in Samara — recreational and convention and exhibition complexes.
Kirill Irtyuga, the founder of Rosinvestotel, attributes these barriers primarily to the financial issue, as well as to the unequal geographical distribution of funds from government subsidies.
"The shortage of 300,000 personnel in tourism leads to a 25-40% increase in salaries per season, which forces businesses to close facilities or reduce services, especially in small towns," he states.
According to his estimates, the training for 6 thousand personnel expected under the national project mainly goes to the metropolitan networks, leaving only 15-20% of graduates in the regions.
In turn, Zhanna Fedayeva, an expert practitioner in tourism and hospitality, positively assesses the first steps of the state in the field of tourism development.
— The government has started investing in personnel training, which, of course, is already a big breakthrough. But the fact is that about 70-80% of employees in the tourism sector do not have a specialized education. And there is a lack of awareness — most of the programs take place online and are formal in nature," she says.
In her opinion, practice-oriented measures for small businesses and better information support are needed to remedy the situation.
At the same time, experts point out that the country is undergoing a reform of the classification of accommodation facilities. It has already borne fruit by adding almost 28,000 objects to the official register, including campsites, recreation centers and guest houses, and reducing the number of violators by four times through soft regional measures, prevention and fines under the Administrative Code.
When mobs steal uniqueness
The study highlights overturism as a growing barrier. They are talking about it in Vyborg, where the tourist flow risks exceeding the capacity of the infrastructure, and in other popular points like Solovki or the Caucasian Mineral Waters. So last year in Suzdal, 35 thousand guests who arrived for the "Cucumber Day", with 10 thousand residents, led to long queues.
Yana Testina, Acting Head of the Department of Regional Studies and International Tourism at St. Petersburg State University, talks about overturism as a trend for small towns and coastal areas.
— A number of regions were affected by overturism in 2025. Sochi and the coastal cities of Krasnodar Region especially. Overturism has become a trend in small Russian cities, such as Suzdal, where people can only stand for five hours out of six hours waiting to buy fast food," she says.
A hot air balloon near the Suzdal Kremlin
Kirill Yakovlev, Program Director of the Faculty of Hospitality at the Presidential Academy, draws attention to other hidden risks of this phenomenon.
"The danger is not so much in queues as in the degradation of infrastructure faster than its depreciation period: roads are not designed for peak loads of +30-50%," he notes.
In his opinion, salvation lies in dynamic pricing and alternative routes like the Golden Ring of Bashkortostan.
Kirill Irtyuga also draws attention to the "social rift" on Lake Baikal and in Suzdal.
— The danger of overturism is not only in ecology, but also in social division. Federal regulations are needed: quotas, a tax on tourist flow," the expert states.
Irina Turgel, director of the UrFU School of Economics, insists on a strategic approach for areas like Baikal, Sochi and Dagestan.
— It is not only possible, but also necessary to regulate overturism. I would single out three areas of regulation. The first is flow management, the second is regulation of the rental housing market, and the third is the involvement of local communities," she says.
However, the press service of the Russian Union of Travel Industry reassures, referring to the operational adaptation of the tourism industry.
"At the moment, it is premature to talk about systemic overturism in Russia, the tourism industry adapts the infrastructure well," the press service of the Russian Union of Travel Industry says, referring to the successful examples of Dagestan, Altai and Kamchatka.
Step forward: Government and business efforts
The Tutu study shows that the full potential will be revealed only with joint steps, where federal subsidies and reforms harmoniously complement regional initiatives. According to experts, the tourist tax is associated with certain risks, especially when it comes to family vacations in small towns.
Irina Turgel points to the tax paradox as a hidden barrier.
— For small towns, the tax can become an additional burden, because the "minimum wage" works as a regressive scale, — she notes.
In her opinion, there is a need for targeted use, lowering the threshold and differentiating rates.
At the same time, the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development draws attention to the fact that the final word in determining the available and feasible workload today remains with the regions: "Today, the subjects themselves determine their resources. The result is the number of trips," the ministry said.
Natalia Anisimova is inclined to look positively to the future.
— Joint efforts of the government and the tourism industry are needed to realize the potential of regional tourism. This is the only way to create a competitive tourism product," she is sure.
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