Russian Far East minister speaks at expanded meeting of State Council’s Tourism Commission at Let’s Travel Forum

Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic Alexei Chekunkov spoke at an expanded meeting of the Russian State Council’s Tourism Commission held as part of the Let’s Travel! International Forum. The Forum is being organized by the Roscongress Foundation jointly with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development with the support of the Russian government and the Moscow Tourism Committee.

The Russian Far East and the Arctic are bolstering their positions among the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Last year, the Far East macro-region was visited by over 7 million tourists, while the Arctic welcomed approximately 1.5 million visitors. Approximately 203,000 tourists came from other countries, with a 91% year-on-year increase in this figure in the first four months of 2026.

This growth in inbound tourism is being driven by a new visa-free regime with neighbouring China and supported by major upgrades in Russia’s hospitality infrastructure. One in ten investment projects in the Russian Far East and Arctic is tourism-related. Over 400 agreements with total investment of more than RUB 390 billion are being implemented with state support mechanisms. New resorts, hotels, glamping sites, ski complexes, and tourism centres are under construction. Tourism projects are also being implemented on the Far Eastern Hectare and Arctic Hectare plots, with 7% of these sites being used for recreational purposes.

Seven international airports have been modernized in the region, and the world’s first cross-border road connecting Russia and China is currently under construction.

Russia is paying particular attention to the modernization of passenger border crossing infrastructure. Urban development master plans include new tourist attractions. Eighteen new pedestrian tourist routes with total length of 126.8 km are being developed across nine regions of the Russian Far East; the first ones are already open to visitors. Based on instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin, year-round seaside resorts are being built in Buryatia and the Primorsky Territory.

Chekunkov noted that Russia’s international advanced special economic zones, as well as the unified preferential regime that is currently being created for the Far East and Arctic, opens up new opportunities to implement even more projects. Top priorities for the coming years include further improving transport accessibility, supporting international routes, and promoting the tourism potential of these macro-regions.

Source: Russian Government channel on MAX