Tourists from the Countries of The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Occupy More Than 50% of the Tourist Flow to the Russian Federation
Tourists from the Countries of The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Occupy More Than 50% of the Tourist Flow to the Russian Federation
14 May
In the structure of the inbound tourist flow to the Russian Federation, the top 5 include the CIS countries, among which Kazakhstan prevails, from where more than 2 million people arrive in the Russian Federation per year. According to the data of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation account for 52% of foreigners coming to the country. This was reported to journalists by Oleg Kochug, Director of the CSR Centre for International Tourism Development, within the framework of the XVI International Economic Forum “Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum 2025”.
According to the results of the last year, he said, Rosstat reported on 5.15 million foreign tourists. “We are announcing an increase in tourist traffic by at least 10–15% this year. We hope that the real indicators will be much higher,” Oleg Kochug said.
According to him, in 2024, compared to the previous year, the number of guests from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey increased significantly. Also, citizens of Malaysia and Indonesia, for example, began to visit Russia. Most commonly, foreign guests come to the Russian Federation to get acquainted with its culture, attractions, nature and climatic phenomena that are unusual for them, and so on.
“So far, inbound and outbound tourist flows in the states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are not comparable. But citizens of the OIC countries occupy more than 50% of the total number of foreign guests,” Oleg Kochug said.
Russians among the countries of the Islamic world often choose resort destinations such as Turkey and others.
The Director of the CSR Centre for International Tourism Development believes that the countries of the Pacific region, for example, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, are promising for the development of outbound tourism. “All our efforts are now aimed at working with this target audience,” Oleg Kochug noted.
According to him, it would be advisable to launch direct flights from the Russian Federation to these countries. Last year, Russia began air communication with such OIC states as Oman and Jordan.
“Russia and countries of the Pacific region, including Malaysia and Indonesia, are establishing warm foreign policy relations. I think this will stimulate the mutual tourist flow. Therefore, these countries could be emphasised in the development of air traffic,” Oleg Kochug said.
The growth of the inbound tourist flow from the states of the Islamic world can be facilitated by the work on the certification of hospitality facilities for compliance with halal standards. In 2024, the Muslim Friendly project was launched in the Russian Federation. Several hotels have received appropriate certificates.
“It is necessary to certify not only hotels, but also restaurants and other tourist infrastructure facilities to attract as many tourists from eastern Arab states as possible, to make them feel like home — comfortable and safe,” Oleg Kochug emphasised.
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The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”, which was granted federal status in 2022 by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, is being held for the 16th time on 14 16 May 2025. The Programme includes 200 events such as a Congress of Ministers of Transport within the Islamic countries; a Congress of Ministers of Culture within the Islamic countries; a Congress of Prosecutors General within the Islamic countries; a Congress of Auditors within the Islamic countries; the world’s largest conference on Islamic finance; conferences on the halal industry; a forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry within the Islamic countries; as well as international exhibitions on economy, trade, and real estate held over 40 thousand sq. m. Representatives from 103 countries registered to participate in 2025. In 2024, the Event gathered more than 20 thousand participants from 87 countries, 87 constituent subjects of the Russian Federation, along with more than 40 diplomatic missions.
According to the results of the last year, he said, Rosstat reported on 5.15 million foreign tourists. “We are announcing an increase in tourist traffic by at least 10–15% this year. We hope that the real indicators will be much higher,” Oleg Kochug said.
According to him, in 2024, compared to the previous year, the number of guests from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey increased significantly. Also, citizens of Malaysia and Indonesia, for example, began to visit Russia. Most commonly, foreign guests come to the Russian Federation to get acquainted with its culture, attractions, nature and climatic phenomena that are unusual for them, and so on.
“So far, inbound and outbound tourist flows in the states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are not comparable. But citizens of the OIC countries occupy more than 50% of the total number of foreign guests,” Oleg Kochug said.
Russians among the countries of the Islamic world often choose resort destinations such as Turkey and others.
The Director of the CSR Centre for International Tourism Development believes that the countries of the Pacific region, for example, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, are promising for the development of outbound tourism. “All our efforts are now aimed at working with this target audience,” Oleg Kochug noted.
According to him, it would be advisable to launch direct flights from the Russian Federation to these countries. Last year, Russia began air communication with such OIC states as Oman and Jordan.
“Russia and countries of the Pacific region, including Malaysia and Indonesia, are establishing warm foreign policy relations. I think this will stimulate the mutual tourist flow. Therefore, these countries could be emphasised in the development of air traffic,” Oleg Kochug said.
The growth of the inbound tourist flow from the states of the Islamic world can be facilitated by the work on the certification of hospitality facilities for compliance with halal standards. In 2024, the Muslim Friendly project was launched in the Russian Federation. Several hotels have received appropriate certificates.
“It is necessary to certify not only hotels, but also restaurants and other tourist infrastructure facilities to attract as many tourists from eastern Arab states as possible, to make them feel like home — comfortable and safe,” Oleg Kochug emphasised.
***
The International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”, which was granted federal status in 2022 by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, is being held for the 16th time on 14 16 May 2025. The Programme includes 200 events such as a Congress of Ministers of Transport within the Islamic countries; a Congress of Ministers of Culture within the Islamic countries; a Congress of Prosecutors General within the Islamic countries; a Congress of Auditors within the Islamic countries; the world’s largest conference on Islamic finance; conferences on the halal industry; a forum of Chambers of Commerce and Industry within the Islamic countries; as well as international exhibitions on economy, trade, and real estate held over 40 thousand sq. m. Representatives from 103 countries registered to participate in 2025. In 2024, the Event gathered more than 20 thousand participants from 87 countries, 87 constituent subjects of the Russian Federation, along with more than 40 diplomatic missions.
