As St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said on the air of TV channel 78, many more tourists from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran and Turkey began to arrive in the northern capital in recent months. After the start of direct flights between St. Petersburg and Tehran, the city on the Neva awaits Iranian guests. The resumption of visa-free travel for tour groups from China is expected. Negotiations are underway with Indian airlines to open direct flights to St. Petersburg from Delhi and Mumbai.
“Approximately 3.5 billion people live in the countries of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region. This is a huge market,” the governor said.
According to him, tourists from Arab countries spend six times more on vacation than guests from other countries, provide demand for four- and five-star hotels, come with large families and groups for a long time, which ensures cargo and income. of the tourist infrastructure.
In addition, Saint Petersburg has tourists from Latin America and the African continent, which can be facilitated by the Russia-Africa summit, which will be held in the Northern capital in July 2023.
And the program “St. Petersburg – the cultural capital of the CIS 2023” should help the growth of the city’s popularity among guests from the former republics of the USSR.
According to Smolny, 770,000 tourists visited St. Petersburg during the May 2023 holidays, almost 37 percent more than the previous year in the same period. In 2022, Saint Petersburg received more than eight million visitors, a third more than in 2021.
