Discover Russia: Inviting the World to Explore

The Story Behind the Discover Russia Brand

The national Tourism and Hospitality Industry project has set an ambitious goal: by 2030, the number of international trips to Russia should grow to 16 million. To make this happen, in January 2024, the Center for International Tourism Development was launched at the Center for Strategic Research (CSR).

“The challenge,” explains Oleg Kochug, Director of the Center, “was that for many years Russia was promoted abroad through fragmented regional brands — like Visit Petersburg or Visit Tatarstan. The national tourism brand allows us to bring all the regions together and present the country as a whole. A country so diverse that it can surprise travelers endlessly, and one they will want to return to again and again.”

This is how the Discover Russia brand came to life — a brand that represents every region of Russia at once. Its logo is a thin, “singing” line that folds into the shape of infinity — a symbol of Russia’s boundless landscapes — and stretches out “beyond the horizon.” The line never breaks; instead, it continues across the logos of all regional tourism brands united under its umbrella.

The effect is that all the logos look as if they’ve been drawn by a single continuous stroke, visually reinforcing the idea of one shared tourism potential across the entire country.

Depending on the region, this line transforms into unique symbols: mountains in the Republic of Adygea, a samovar in Tula, or even a dragon in Kamchatka. The message is clear — in Russia, every traveler can find once-in-a-lifetime experiences: climbing volcanoes, joining a sea expedition, spotting whales and the northern lights, and discovering the cultures and traditional cuisines of many different peoples.

How Interest in Visiting Russia Is Growing Among International Travelers

In 2024, inbound tourism to Russia grew by 30% compared to the previous year, reaching 5.2 million visitors. On Kamchatka alone, the number of tourists increased 1.7 times. These figures were shared by Nikita Kondratiev, Director of the Department for Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects at the Ministry of Economic Development.

According to the Center for Strategic Research (CSR), Chinese visitors alone accounted for approximately 15.1 million overnight stays in hotels and other accommodations across Russia in 2024. On average, international tourists spend around 3.5 times more nights in Russia than domestic travelers — more than 13 nights compared to about four.

China continues to dominate the inbound market: in the Russian Far East, Chinese travelers make up nearly three-quarters of all foreign visitors — the highest proportion nationwide. In the Northwestern and Siberian districts, their share is about one-quarter.

In absolute numbers, the Central Federal District saw the largest influx, with over 500,000 Chinese tourists in 2024. By contrast, southern Russia and the North Caucasus remain less popular, attracting only about 14,000 visitors from China (around 1.5% of the total), with their share in these regions at just 5%.

At the same time, Russia is seeing growing demand from new markets. In 2024, the combined tourist flow from Iran, China, the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and India grew 2.4 times compared to 2023, notes Oleg Kochug, Director of the Center for International Tourism Development at CSR.

Where the Discover Russia Brand Is Making an Impact

Russia’s new tourism brand, Discover Russia, is aimed at travelers around the world, but right now the strongest focus is on the Middle East, Asia, and the countries of the former CIS. The brand is being promoted on international digital platforms, at global forums and travel exhibitions, and through familiarization trips for top travel bloggers with millions of followers.

In 2024, Russia welcomed visitors from Iran, China, India, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia under this initiative. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, these are exactly the countries where tourist numbers grew most noticeably thanks to brand promotion.

In 2024, under the Discover Russia brand, the country introduced the Time to Travel catalog of tourist routes, created specifically for international travelers. The first edition was published in Arabic, English, and Chinese, featuring 12 Russian regions and 11 adapted itineraries. Each product was carefully designed with the preferences of foreign visitors in mind — including guided programs, services, and accommodation infrastructure.

This year, the catalog is set to expand with new routes and regions. Each tour also comes with its own narrative and symbolic elements. For example, the Kamchatka itinerary “Land of Dragons,” tailored for Chinese tourists, is inspired by a local belief that mythical creatures slumber inside volcanoes. Each day of the journey is framed as an encounter with an invisible dragon, with locations tied to its image: the Valley of Geysers represents the dragon’s breath, while the black obsidian at the foot of Koryaksky Volcano is said to come from its underground fire — magma.

RussiaDiscovery: Guiding Travelers to the Real Russia

For over 10 years, RussiaDiscovery has been helping travelers from around the world discover the real Russia. We have extensive experience creating journeys for international guests — from cruises to private adventures and group tours. We make this possible by running an English-language website, partnering with travel agencies abroad, and — most importantly — sharing our love for Russia through stories and unforgettable experiences.

Our guests are dreamers and adventurers. Some know Russia well and return again and again; others arrive for the very first time, trusting us to guide them. Our goal is always the same: to surprise, to delight, and to give people a reason to come back for more.

Here are just a few travel stories that we are sharing with the participants’ permission.

Alfred and Wilma: To the Golden Cliffs of Yakutia

He’s from Germany, she’s from the Netherlands. Alfred and Wilma are the kind of couple who live for adventure. They met in Scotland, fell in love, got married — and have been traveling the globe ever since. Their journeys have taken them from Australia to South America, from Alaska to Svalbard, and even to Antarctica for New Year’s Eve.

Russia holds a special place in their hearts. They’ve been here six times already, exploring Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, Altai, Baikal, the Caucasus, and the Kola Peninsula. In 2024, they joined RussiaDiscovery on a tour of Yakutia — a trip so unique it won first place in the “Routes of Russia” competition for Active Tourism.

Golden cliffs, the towering Lena Pillars, rafting down the Lena and Sinyaya rivers, fishing in pristine waters, and sleeping under the stars — it was the perfect adventure for two romantics.

Bader Al Shuaib and Brandon Patrick O'Sullivan: Journey to the North Pole

Bader Al Shuaib — a blogger from Kuwait — became the first Kuwaiti to reach both poles. His remarkable journeys were featured in local media.

In 2024, Bader traveled to the North Pole with RussiaDiscovery. The expedition crossed the Arctic Ocean to Franz Josef Land, with landings on the ice, encounters with Arctic wildlife, a plunge into polar waters, and, of course, a visit to the very top of the planet — the point where all meridians meet.

On his social media channels, Bader Al Shuaib shares stories from his polar adventures and debunks common myths about the Arctic and Antarctica. In 2027, he plans to return to the North Pole with RussiaDiscovery — this time as the leader of his own travel group.

Brandon Patrick O’Sullivan from Australia was another international guest who journeyed with us to the North Pole in 2024, though his journey began a little differently. At first, he planned to travel by helicopter and stay in an ice camp — but when the drifting ice made it impossible to build the camp, his trip was canceled. We offered Brendan an alternative — to reach the North Pole aboard a nuclear-powered icebreaker as part of an expedition.

Brandon didn’t regret it for a second. After the trip, he wrote to his manager: “Thank you, Max. It was a great trip!” — along with a photo that said more than words ever could.

Jovana Jeličić: Adventures on the Ice of Lake Baikal

The frozen surface of Lake Baikal has become a wonder in its own right — a destination that draws travelers from all over the world to Russia. In March 2025, six friends from Serbia set their sights on this legendary winter landscape, searching Google for unusual adventures across the ice of the great lake. That search led them to our Two Shores of Baikal tour.

The full itinerary, however, stretched beyond the budget. So together we created a tailor-made journey across the Maloye More Strait, carefully adapting the program to the wishes and needs of our travelers. We also prepared a warm welcome letter and small keepsake gifts for each guest — because for us, it’s the little touches that matter.