Tourism Forum 'Travel!' Draws Record Crowd of Over Half a Million Visitors

Moscow — The international tourism forum “Travel!” saw a surge in attendance this year, with more than 510,000 people visiting its exhibits. That’s 80,000 more than last year, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.

Held from June 10 to 12, the event brought together representatives from all Russian regions and over 50 countries. The business program, described as a space for practical solutions in tourism development, attracted nearly 5,000 participants. Across 69 sessions and discussions, 343 speakers covered key trends, government support measures, and new models for regional and international cooperation.

The forum’s results were impressive: 107 agreements were signed, 285 one-on-one meetings took place, and eight group networking sessions involved 206 business and government officials from Russia and abroad. The exhibition featured 74 Russian regions, including the Jewish Autonomous Region, which showcased its own stand for the first time. Twelve foreign countries also participated, with debut appearances by China, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Nicaragua, and Myanmar.

Anton Kobyakov, adviser to the Russian president and executive secretary of the forum’s organizing committee, said the event set a direction for dynamic growth in tourism, an industry showing steady improvement across all key metrics.