Domestic tourism in Russia rose by 1.3 million people in 2015 when compared to the previous year, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, the state-run TASS news agency reported Friday.
Speaking at the first meeting of the Coordinating Council for the Development of Domestic Tourism, Golodets also noted a decrease in the number of Russians traveling abroad in the same year.
“The amount of tourists in Russia who prefer to travel abroad has decreased by 31 percent — or 5.6 million people. At the same time, domestic tourism rose by 1.3 million people for the year,” Golodets said, TASS reported.
The deputy prime minister said that the flow of domestic tourists reached 50 million people for the first time last year.
“We have many varieties of tourism, which have serious potential for development. Russia's tourism industry is ready for the 2016 tourist season,” she added, TASS reported.
