According to tour operators, the flow of tourists to Russia since the beginning of 2008 reduced by at least 10-15%. The biggest decline in the number of tourists wishing to visit our country was experienced among German and Australian tourists: the number of tourists became 20% less than the number last year. The number of French, Italian and Spanish tourists also reduced.
According to experts, Russia is not well prepared to receive foreign tourists. Strictly speaking, Moscow and St. Petersburg are the only two cities in our country that receive foreign tourists. The tourist season is very short and limited to the summer period.
Moreover, there is still the question of undeveloped infrastructure: there are no public toilets and pedestrian zones. This makes it impossible to have a walk around the city, which is popular in Europe. The population does not speak foreign languages very well and this creates additional discomfort for tourists. As a result, hotels particularly in Moscow during the height of the summer season are only 40% occupied.