Moscow Leads the Charge in Industrial Tourism, Says City Official

Moscow has cemented its role as a driving force behind industrial tourism, using factory visits to boost interest in manufacturing and technical careers, according to Olga Starikova, head of the Moscow Export, Industry, and Investment Support Center. Speaking at a workshop in the Technopolis Moscow special economic zone, Starikova noted that the capital’s status as a national industrial and science hub makes it a natural leader in this field.

The event, titled “How to Make Factories Attractive Destinations: Industry for Youth,” drew over 70 experts and marked the first gathering of the “Open #Mosprom” project. Since its launch in 2019, the initiative has organized more than 3,500 tours of Moscow factories, giving residents and visitors a behind-the-scenes look at production lines. Participants discussed how such tours can strengthen workforce development and build consumer trust in local brands.

Tatiana Semenova, deputy communications director at Technopolis Moscow, shared results from the “Technotourism” project, which started in 2022. In 2025 alone, about 4,000 people toured high-tech facilities in the economic zone, bringing the total to over 12,500 since the program began. Visitors have come from cities across Russia, including St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, and Tula, as well as from countries like China, India, Iraq, Venezuela, and Mexico.

During the workshop’s hands-on session, attendees designed “ideal factory tours” and pitched their ideas to a panel of judges. Eighteen Moscow enterprises received awards for their contributions to the city’s industrial tourism growth.