2025 Archive
‘Let’s Travel!’ International Tourism Forum takes industry events to new level
The fifth anniversary edition of the ‘Let’s Travel!’ International Tourism Forum took place at the VDNH in Moscow on 10–15 June 2025. The Forum is a key global-scale event in the Russian tourism industry. This year, the Forum Organizing Committee assigned the event ‘international’ status. The Forum was organized by the Roscongress Foundation jointly with the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation with the support of the Russian Government and the Moscow Tourism Committee.
The plenary session, the central event of the Forum’s business programme, was moderated by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko and Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Reshetnikov. Chernyshenko read out a welcome address from President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to participants and guests at the plenary session. Experts and participants also received a video message from Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin.
“The ‘Let’s Travel!’ International Tourism Forum is a major event in the country’s tourism sector. Its scale is expanding each year. Representatives of 89 Russian regions and delegations from 30 countries gathered at the VDNH venue. More than 4,000 people took part in the business programme. Of course, the driver of the industry’s development has been the ‘Tourism and Hospitality’ national project, which was launched at the initiative of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. At the Forum, we were able to receive feedback from citizens and businesses and assess the effectiveness of state support measures. Moreover, strategic decisions were worked out and proposals were received to improve processes involved with implementing tourism industry projects. Per tradition, consumers were given an opportunity to purchase discounted tour packages during the Forum,” Chernyshenko said.
Advisor to the Russian President Anton Kobyakov noted that the Forum continues to steadily gain momentum and is rightfully a highlight on the agenda of industry events. “This year’s business programme was the largest in the Forum’s history. More than 433,000 guests attended the events of the festival programme, which was a record for the Forum and exceeded last year’s numbers, when visitors to parallel events at the of the International RUSSIA EXPO held at the VDNH were included. A total of 61 substantive sessions were held with 427 speakers. Some of the most pressing issues on the agenda were considered: the systemic modernization of infrastructure, new standards of service quality, the development of agrotourism, import substitution, digitalization, and the promotion of tourism products. In addition, as part of Russia Day on 12 June, a number of sessions were held with the aim of developing human resources and building on the youth agenda. On the sidelines of the Forum, industry associations and businesses signed 30 cooperation agreements,” Kobyakov said.
During the plenary session, Reshetnikov outlined development plans and reported on the Russian tourism industry’s achievements in 2025. “Tourism is directly related to the country’s well-being: this means jobs, investment, and a growth tool for the regions. Today, it is crucial to not only respond to challenges, but to turn them into opportunities and find new growth points and focuses for development. The ‘Let’s Travel!’ Forum has become a platform where the industry speaks the language of solutions, not problems,” he said. Chernyshenko and Reshetnikov presented badges from the Russian Ministry of Economic Development ‘For Contribution to the Development of Tourism’ for the first time ever.
The Forum’s festival venue attracted a broad audience. Over the course of six days, guests visited the stands of Russia’s regions and nine countries. A total of 438 organizations, including representatives of regional businesses, federal operators, accommodation facilities, and manufacturers of tourism industry products, presented the opportunities they offer at 140 exhibition sites.
The festival programme featured a wide range of events: the House of Russian Cuisine with culinary master classes from famous chefs, the Okko Summer Cinema with thematic film screenings in the evenings, the Grand Lecture Hall, and the ‘Let’s Develop!’ Lecture Hall, which hosted a total of 182 events with 276 speakers. The retreat tent with wellness services provided a place for all guests to recharge. The main stage continuously hosted more than 100 creative groups and cultural shows throughout the festival. On the final day of the Forum, Samovarfest joined the performances. The festival also offered online interactive activities, such as a quest, which 3,529 people took over the course of the festival, and the ITF ‘Let’s Travel!’ mobile guide, which amassed 16,274 users. The ‘More than a Trip’ programme organized 62 excursions for 1,395 guests and participants of the Forum.
The ‘Let’s Travel!’ International Tourism Forum brought together the tourism industry of the entire country, professionals from the global industry community, and a broad audience of travellers in an effort to develop new itineraries, ideas, and solutions in the industry of the future.
