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- Natural expanses: tourist flow to national parks and reserves of the Russian Federation may grow to 25 million
Natural expanses: tourist flow to national parks and reserves of the Russian Federation may grow to 25 million
Russia may increase the tourist flow in federal specially protected natural territories to 25 million people by the end of 2026, the United Scientific Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told Izvestia. This is 11% more than a year earlier. The top 5 most visited parks include Sochi National Park, Kislovodsk, Losiny Ostrov, Krasnoyarsk Pillars, and Curonian Spit. The development of nature reserves is currently under state control, and the annual total contribution to the economy due to ecotourism from related industries such as transport, catering, and retail trade may amount to about 120-150 billion rubles. However, for the sustainable functioning of the industry, it is necessary to resolve a number of legal, infrastructural and economic issues, experts say. The information about what is holding back the development of ecotourism today and how national parks plan to attract tourists is in the Izvestia article.
How much can the volume of eco-tourism in Russia grow?
The tourist flow in the federal specially protected natural territories in 2025, according to updated data, reached 22.6 million people, which is 28% more than in 2024, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told Izvestia. According to the ministry, the number of visitors to national parks has been steadily increasing in recent years. In the first four months of 2026, about 5 million people visited them, about the same number as in the same period last year. At the same time, the main tourist flow traditionally falls in summer and early autumn.
Therefore, by the end of the year, the number of visitors to protected areas may grow to 25 million people, Alexander Zakondyrin, director of the Unified Scientific Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Federal State Budgetary Institution VNII Ekologiya, told Izvestia on May 22 during the round table "In search of balance: policy and regulation in the field of protected areas." The event was organized at the suggestion of Interros together with NTU Sirius, VNII Ekologiya and Rosa Khutor in this resort.
— The interest of tourists in the protected areas of our country continues to grow annually. Ecotourism is a strategically important industry with great development potential, which can become a growth driver for the regions of our country. An increase in the number of visitors of 15-20% annually is quite realistic, however, for this, the Russian protected area system needs to address a range of issues — legal, infrastructural, economic, etc., he said.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment believes that when developing ecotourism in national parks, it is necessary to take into account the maximum anthropogenic load. The agency has developed a methodology that will allow this to be done, and then these natural areas will approve plans for recreational activities.
— Another important point is the creation of a modern tourism infrastructure that meets all environmental requirements. According to the national project "Ecological well-being" 41 objects will appear in national parks. These are visitor centers, tourist complexes, scientific and educational facilities, and more," the department added.
The development of domestic ecological tourism is under special control of the authorities today. By 2030, on behalf of the president, a modern infrastructure for eco-tourism should be created in all national parks of the country. In January 2026, Vladimir Putin instructed the Cabinet of Ministers, together with the commissions of the State Council of the Russian Federation, to improve the organization of ecological tourism in protected areas.
What development potential does the industry have?
According to Alexander Zakondyrin, the preparation of a system plan for the improvement of protected areas should begin with their inventory. Part of the protected areas, the expert noted, has actually lost its purpose and retains its environmental status only on paper.
Logistics remains one of the key challenges. In many regions, the construction of highways has not yet been resolved, and existing access routes need to be repaired and expanded. In some locations, due to the long distances, the creation of such an infrastructure is difficult, therefore, the organization of regular river transport or the development of small aircraft is required there, the specialist explained.
In addition, amendments to the law "On Specially Protected Natural Territories" are currently being finalized, which will allow changing the boundaries of existing protected areas. In parallel, a new industry strategy is being prepared until 2036. It is assumed that it will allow the formation of a full-fledged industry with a separate management body and modern standards of work.
Today, the five most visited national parks in Russia earn about 8 billion rubles a year on tickets, said Dmitry Tortev, a member of the expert council at the State Duma Committee for the Protection of Competition. According to the Roszapovedcenter, these are Sochi National Park, Kislovodsk, Losiny Ostrov, Krasnoyarsk Pillars, Curonian Spit.
— If the tourist flow grows by more than 10%, their income will amount to about 9 billion rubles. A significant part of the visitors are not locals, but ecotourists with an average check, according to conservative estimates, at the level of 5-7 thousand rubles per day (including accommodation, meals, excursions and souvenirs)," the expert told Izvestia.
At the same time, the annual total contribution to the economy due to ecotourism from related industries (transport, catering, retail, etc.) may amount to about 120-150 billion rubles, he added.
How national parks intend to attract tourists
According to Konstantin Nesterov, General Director of Rosa Khutor, the main guideline remains the study and preservation of the natural environment. The resort intends to adhere to this approach when implementing a new project — a network of hiking trails that simultaneously solve health problems and minimize the impact on ecosystems.
The resort plans to test ecotropics technologies at different altitudes — 600, 1100 and 2300 m above sea level, he added. Based on the results of the work carried out jointly with scientists, as well as the assessment of ecosystem restoration, reduction of anthropogenic load and analysis of practices of national parks, a new standard for the creation of ecotropics in Russia can be formed. A detailed project concept and research plan will be presented in the fall.
In turn, the Khakassky Nature Reserve is preparing for tourists one of the key events of the year — the opening of Russia's second center for the reintroduction of the Przhevalsky horse, a species listed in the Red Book. At the same time, a visitor center will open, where visitors will be able to learn more about this species and see animals in their natural habitat, its director Viktor Nepomnyashchy told Izvestia.
— This main tourist event was prepared with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for four years, the total amount of investments from various sources amounted to more than 100 million rubles, — he noted.
The Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park, one of the top 5 most visited protected areas in the country, is mainly visited by tourists from the Krasnoyarsk Territory and regions of the Siberian Federal District. The main attraction remains the fantastically shaped syenite rocks located among the Siberian taiga. Among the new projects are environmental expeditions for schoolchildren, Vyacheslav Shcherbakov, its director, told Izvestia.
"This year, there will be 1,800 schoolchildren from our region who will come to live in the Krasnoyarsk Pillars and participate in environmental expeditions," he said.
Syenite rocks in the Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park
According to Alexander Biba, President of Cosmos Hotel Group, interest in traveling in Russia continues to grow, and this is especially noticeable in natural regions.
— We see steady demand for Altai, Karelia, the North Caucasus, the Far East, Murmansk and the Arctic territories. For many guests, such a trip is no longer just a vacation, but an opportunity to change the environment, recover and get new impressions. Separately, there is a growing demand for short trips for two to three days, including to locations that can be reached by car in a few hours. At the same time, interest in small towns with a strong history and cultural environment is increasing — such as Kolomna, Ples, Uglich, Vyborg, Tikhvin," he told Izvestia.
For the sustainable development of tourism in specially protected natural areas, it is important not only to attract a stream of visitors, but also to understand the limits of this burden in advance. Roads, basic engineering infrastructure, high—quality rooms near the points of attraction, and understandable conditions for investors and operators are needed, he noted.
What problems need to be solved?
It is important that an increase in the number of visitors to protected areas does not lead to degradation of natural complexes, therefore it is necessary to rationally distribute tourist flows and create high-quality infrastructure safe for people and nature, Lev Shagarov, a member of the Public Council at the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, told Izvestia.
The Federal Law on Protected Areas provides for a mechanism that allows attracting investors' funds for the development of ecological tourism in national parks.
— They can become a number of Russian development institutes, state corporations and companies that already have the necessary competencies and successful experience in developing tourism in natural areas. Of course, cooperation between protected areas and businesses in the field of recreational activities should be based on the results of scientific research and recommendations from scientists," said Lev Shagarov.
At the same time, according to Natalia Kostenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, clear goals and a systematic approach are needed to develop mass tourism in specially protected natural areas. We are talking about the creation of specialized programs for different categories of tourists, the formation of economically sustainable models to compensate for damage from anthropogenic stress, as well as the inclusion of protected areas in the overall management system of the tourist infrastructure of the regions where such territories are located.
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