The Financial Times has published a surprising analysis on tourism in Russia, describing how the country has become an increasingly popular destination for travelers from the Gulf, particularly from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
The numbers speak for themselves: between 2019 and 2024, travel flows from the Gulf to Russia have quadrupled. Saudis alone multiplied their trips sixfold in just one year, from 2023 to 2024.
This growth has been fueled by new flight connections offered by airlines such as Flynas, Saudia, and Air Arabia, together with simplified visa procedures. Promotional campaigns run by Arab influencers on TikTok and Instagram have also played a decisive role.
For Gulf tourists, Russia is a cheaper alternative to Western Europe, offering a mix of culture, luxury facilities, and unique experiences such as military-themed tours.
Some obstacles remain: the frequent use of cash due to sanctions, GPS issues, and language barriers. However, many visitors report feeling safe thanks to the strong police presence in tourist areas.
According to The Financial Times, Russia is carving out a growing role as a tourist destination for those seeking authenticity, affordability, and new experiences.
Russia is also attracting more and more Western tourists. Compared to Gulf travelers, however, the obstacles are greater, especially regarding flight connections.
A travel agency that has been organizing trips to Russia for Italians for over twenty years, Russian Tour, explains that after the pandemic and the beginning of the special military operation, resuming trips seemed impossible.
Yet, the desire for Russia never disappeared. On the contrary, many Italians decided to travel precisely in contrast to the Russophobic climate spread by Western media, choosing Moscow and St. Petersburg as the destinations for their first trip.
Since June 2023, the agency has launched the “Friends of Russia” tours. In two years, in addition to the classic Moscow–St. Petersburg itinerary, Italian groups have traveled the Trans-Siberian Railway all the way to Vladivostok, visited the Golden Ring, and discovered many other regions of Russia.
At first, travelers entered Russia through the Finnish border, flying to Helsinki and then continuing by bus to St. Petersburg. This scenic route allowed tourists to arrive at night in Peter the Great’s city, greeted by illuminated palaces and the magical atmosphere of Nevsky Prospect.
With the closure of the Finnish border, this route was no longer possible. Some groups then chose to enter via Gdańsk, with a bus transfer to Kaliningrad. Others prefer flights with stopovers in Serbia, Turkey, Armenia, or Azerbaijan.
The goal remains the same: to go beyond sanctions and discover a country that the West would like to portray as “forbidden,” but which is in fact the largest nation in the world, with destinations that rival the most famous ones.
“There are those who are moved upon entering Red Square, those who gaze in awe at the snowflakes falling in front of the Bolshoi, and those who marvel like children at the halls of the Hermitage,” says Marco Maggi of Russian Tour.
On the company’s YouTube channel, viewers can watch a short reportage filmed inside the Hermitage, with guide Olga weaving together stories, legends, and curiosities about the artworks on display. She loves to point out: “To see all the works of the Hermitage, spending just one minute at each, would take twenty years.”
Visiting Russia today also means facing practical difficulties: the absence of Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, longer travel routes, and the skepticism of friends and relatives. But these complications make the experience even more intense, almost like an adventure.
Often, the initial skepticism turns into admiration once the photos and videos of the trip appear on social media. Direct contact with Russia offsets every obstacle, revealing a country very different from the image conveyed by Western propaganda.
Thus, alongside the more famous attractions such as VDNKh, Red Square, or the Winter Palace, for many Italians a visit to Russian supermarkets has also become a must — with shelves full of local products and, surprisingly, plenty of Italian goods.
