Doha: Russian tourism officials are banking on increasing the number of visitors to the country from Qatar, the Gulf region and the Middle East as its tourism roadshow hopes to break stereotypes and misconceptions about the country.
Speaking to The Peninsula during the Moscow City Tourism Committee (MCTC) tourism roadshow in Doha, Yulia Syundyukova, Head of Foreign Tourism Industry Cooperation Department, said they had studied Qatar and the Middle East market, and it presents “a great potential.”
Syundyukova also hopes the visa-free policy for Qatari travellers will boost the interests of potential tourists from the country. She disclosed that the Russian government is working towards visa-free policies with many countries, including Saudi Arabia and countries in Southeastern Asia.
“We have discovered that there is a potential, not only in Doha but in the broader Middle East. We also had events in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We identified that there was demand before COVID-19. We saw the demand in the market, and we have identified our priorities accordingly,” Syundyukova said.
“Also, one of the most important features is that we have visa-free policies for the local population -- for the nationals.
“So we hope that this will facilitate demand. From our side, we see that we have not returned to the times before COVID-19, but we don’t see any major obstacles nowadays and we hope for the best,” she added.
The roadshow attracted more than 10 local companies, hotel representatives and city entertainment operators. Among the participants were also key agents who engaged in business-to-business meetings to further long-term cooperation.
The event highlighted Moscow and several cities in Russia as attractive tourist locations. Russia saw a rise in visitors after hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
However, most international travellers remain sceptical about visiting the country after the Russia-Ukraine situation, but Syundyukova insists Moscow is ready to welcome visitors.
According to reports, foreign tourism to Russia fell below 4% of its pre-pandemic levels in 2022. In 2019, around 5.1 million tourists reportedly visited Russia before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I understand that this is a sensitive question, but why? Why not? What’s wrong with the city? “There is a conclusion, an old and wrong stereotype about Russia and Moscow, and we want to break this stereotype. We recently had a group of tourists and they admired visiting Russia and Moscow so much that they expressed their sincere gratitude. So the whole worldview has been shaken from top to bottom,” Syundyukova stressed.
Syundyukova added that the MCTC has ensured halal interests will be catered for. Besides, she noted that the Moscow+ package also enables tourists to visit other cities and regions such as St Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Chechnya.
Qatar Airways operates around seven weekly flights to Russia, with discussions ongoing to increase the frequency, Syundyukova added.
