“Russia – Middle East: The Customer Journey and the Creation of a New Tourism Product”

Venue: Kazan Expo International Exhibition Centre, Kazan

Time: May 19, 2023, 10:00–12:00

Organiser: Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Moderator: Nikita Kondratiev, Acting Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia

Speakers:

Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;

Ali Azgar Shalbafian, Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the Islamic Republic of Iran;

Sangaji Tarbaev, Chairperson of the State Duma Committee for Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development;

Evgeny Kozlov, First Deputy Head of the Office of the Mayor and Government of Moscow, Chairperson of the Tourism Committee of the City of Moscow;

Sergey Ivanov, Chairperson of the State Committee for Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan;

Evgenia Atakhanova, Head of Corporate Group Department of “Pegas-Touristik”;

Dmitry Arutyunov, General Director of “ART TOUR” company;

Artur Muradyan, General Director of “Space Travel” company;

Yulia Gorelikova, Executive Director of “Kamchatka Travel Group”;

Mahd Abu Arkoub, Regional Marketing Director, Russia and the CIS, the Jordan Tourism Board;

Anna Tretyakova, Sales Director, Russia and CIS, Rixos Hotels;

Inna Pekhova, Vice-President of the National Tourism Union, Chairman of the Industry Committee for Hotel Business and Tourism of the Association of Managers of Russia;

Mahd Abu Arkoub, Regional Marketing Director, Russia and the CIS, the Jordan Tourism Board;

Mohamed Raaidh, Taylor’s University, Maldives.

At the round table, the participants discussed the tourist destinations in the countries of Middle East that enjoy the highest demand of Russians, and tourist destinations in Russia that may be of interest for guests from the Middle East, the matters of launching a tourist program for Russian and Islamic tourists, and other relevant topics of cooperation between Russia and the Middle East in the sphere of tourism.

Opening the round table, Nikita Kondratiev stressed that cooperation with the Middle East in the sphere of tourism is one of the priority areas for the Russian Federation, and one of the tasks in this regard is to increase the attractiveness of Russia for the tourists from this region. He expressed hope that new opportunities for the development of tourism will be opened up at the meeting.

Dmitry Vakhrukov noted: “Today the countries of the Islamic world and, particularly, the Middle East are among the Russia’s key partners in the sphere of tourism. Mutual visa-free regimes, regular air traffic and friendly relations between our countries can serve as a good basis for the further expansion of two-way tourist flows between Russia and the Middle East. At the same time, it is important to work actively to make Russian destinations more demanded by tourists from the countries of Middle East, both at the level of governments, and in the tourism industry.” He noted that during 2022 the countries of Middle East were visited by 1.4 million Russians, and more than 66 thousand people from these countries visited Russia. According to forecasts, in 2023 the number of Russians’ trips to the Middle East will exceed 2 million. Besides traditional destinations, it is necessary today to develop new ones, such as Iran, Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Ali Asghar Shalbafian noted the attractiveness of Iran where tourists are offered a wide choice of sightseeing attractions and places of interest. He believes that, in order to increase the tourist flow, it is necessary to develop mechanisms facilitating the entry into country, including the option to get a visa at the airport, and free entry for tourists arriving to the country by private cars. It is necessary to create new tourism products and promote relations between countries.

Sangadji Tarbaev drew attention to the trend of Russia’s turn toward the East that emerges because of the current international situation. “We have finally got the understanding that tourism is first of all an economic matter. This is an area that can become one of the current budget sources.” added Sangadji Tarbaev. “Today, large investments are directed into the development of tourism infrastructure on the territory of Russia. Without doubt, it serves our interests that foreign investors, including those from the Middle East, would consider Russia not only as a destination to come to get acquainted with culture, historical heritage, and get lots of positive impressions, but also as a place where one can invest money.”

Evgeny Kozlov noted the strong potential of inbound tourism from the countries of Middle East. He stressed that it is important to study the needs of tourists from this region and said that more than 50 hotels in Moscow already develop services in compliance with the Halal standards.

Sergey Ivanov mentioned the 15% annual increase of the flow of tourists from the countries of the Islamic world. He expressed hope for the establishment of regular air traffic to the cities of Iran, and also noted the attractiveness of the Republic of Tatarstan where Muslims and Christians live in peace and harmony, and Halal services are developed at an active pace, for tourists from the countries of Middle East.

Evgenia Atakhanova noted that tourists from the Middle East often purchase travel package offers of Premium level. In order to attract tourists from the countries of Middle East, it is necessary to form a positive image of Russia; for this it is needed to invest in marketing and advertising campaigns, make films, and take part in exhibitions and conferences. Possible obstacles for tourists can be the absence of reputable Russian reservation systems, difficulties with the documentation of entry into the country, lack of ability to use international bank cards.

Dmitry Arutyunov noted that due to the complexity of travelling to Europe and North America, the countries of Middle East will see more tourists from Russia. Important tasks to be solved are direct air flights, and simplification of the visa regime. It is also important to diversify the goals: develop expensive destinations along with mass and business tourism.

Artur Muradyan drew attention to the necessity to pay special attention to the matters of air transportation. The development of tourism is important for the national economy. The Russian market is not much geared for international operators. The use of bonus programs is important.

Yulia Gorelikova noted the specificity and uniqueness of Kamchatka as a tourism region.

Mahd Abu Arkoub mentioned the attractiveness of tourists from Russia for Jordan and stressed the attractiveness of Jordan for tourists.

Anna Tretyakova noted that the option most demanded by the customers from Russia and the CIS is All Inclusive offers. Special attention is paid to Qatar. It is also planned to develop projects in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Inna Pekhova noted the possibility of Muslim tourism growth. The money spent by Muslim tourists goes to the budget of the EC. Russia has projects to set up and develop a tourist centre in Samarkand. It is important for tourism and hospitality to develop together. Special attention is paid to the development of the Silk Road. It is planned to launch tourism ethics and rules of business programs, develop marketing, communications, halal food (halal compliance rating).

Mohamed Raaidh noted the attractiveness of Maldives for tourism and investing. He stressed that Russia is a leader in terms of the number of tourists arriving to the country, and also mentioned that foreigners can own real estate in the Maldives.

A memorandum of understanding in the sphere of tourism was signed as a part of the round table by Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Azgar Shalbafian and Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Dmitry Vakhrukov.