Moscow has launched special guides for tourists coming from the Middle East. Travelers coming to the Russian capital from those countries now have access to special themed guides where each location is carefully selected to satisfy the needs of the tourists for bringing them the best Moscow experience.
The Muslim-friendly guide for Middle Eastern tourists features recommendations on restaurants and hotels, popular winter and summer activities, sights, parks and shopping. The guide was developed in order to select the locations that will best represent the city, offer a unique experience and also meet the special requirements that tourists from the Middle East have.
The guide has been approved by RusQuality - the Russian quality system -RusQuality and International Center For Standardization And Certification "Halal" Under The Spiritual Administration Of Muslims Of The Russian Federation. That ensures all the featured places have been reviewed in terms of quality and meet the highest standards.
Printed versions of the guides are available in Moscow tourist information centers, as well as at the roadshow of the Moscow City Tourism Committee. The centers can be found in popular attractions such as the Tverskaya station, Zaryadye Park, river boat station and the Dream Island amusement park. The staff of the information centers are all professional guides with a vast knowledge of Moscow that speak multiple foreign languages. They can provide further information on the cultural sites, transportation, suggest routes and a lot more. Apart from that, tourists visiting the information centers can change their phones, pick up city maps and booklets and book free tours.
The city hosts festivals such as the Moscow seasons, Flower Jam, Summer in Moscow, Moscow Tea Time and Moscow Estates. For business travelers there is an extended calendar of forums and conferences as well as world-class events both regional and global hosted at exhibition complexes and other venues.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Moscow continues to grow, with the tourist flow from the Middle East reaching pre-pandemic levels. In 2023 alone, over 42,000 UAE tourists visited Moscow, which is 8 times higher than 2022 and almost 25 times higher than 2017. As of early February, there were 150 flights a week from Moscow to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The city expects a big rise in the inflow of Emirati visitors during the current year as travelers from the UAE do not need visas to enter Russia.
The Moscow city tourism committee is branding the capital as a key global tourist destination. In 2023, foreign tourist flow to Moscow amounted to 2.3 million people, with the most frequent visitors coming from China, India, CIS countries and the Middle East. To strengthen its international relationships, Moscow regularly organizes business missions, presents its tourism potential at industry exhibitions, and creates projects and events aimed, among other things, at foreign tourists.