RussiaDiscovery Took Part in the “Cities of Russia 2030: New Frontiers” Forum

On the first day of the forum, a session titled “Tourism as a Driver of Urban Development in Russia” was held and moderated by RussiaDiscovery founder Vadim Mamontov. The speakers included:

— Dmitry Vakhrukov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;
— Andrey Zheleznyakov, Deputy CEO of the Federal Corporation for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises;
— Konstantin Anuchin, Head of the Association of Small Tourist Cities;
— Andrey Maksimov, Vice President of the National Hospitality Industry Union and Chair of the Commission on Territorial Development and Local Self-Government at the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation.

Dmitry Vakhrukov outlined the key support measures:

1. In 2023–2024, regions were allocated around 18 billion rubles to create 14,500 rooms in modular hotels and support 636 projects.
2. Support for the construction of 3–5 star hotels with a capacity of at least 120 rooms is being expanded. Twenty banks are participating in a subsidized lending program: projects worth 280 billion rubles and 27,500 rooms have already been selected. In the final stage, the total number of rooms is expected to increase to 48,000. Interest-rate subsidies are also provided for the construction of year-round amusement parks, water parks, and ski resort infrastructure.
3. Support measures have been consolidated into a “single tourism subsidy” that regions can allocate to priority areas. In 2024, around 6.1 billion rubles will be allocated for this purpose, with no single region receiving more than 5% of the total. Priority is given to regions:
   — with national tourism routes;
   — with a higher number of collective accommodation facilities (hotels, hostels, etc.);
   — with stronger performance against subsidy targets.
4. A national tourism route program is being implemented. It includes routes that have passed expert evaluation, have a fully developed itinerary with well-planned logistics, and meet safety requirements. There are currently 44 such routes in Russia.

These measures are aimed at creating new accommodation capacity in the regions and developing tourism infrastructure.

The Cities of Russia Forum has been held since 2016. It brings together representatives of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Ministry of Economic Development, regional and municipal authorities, development corporations, expert organizations, the business community, and urban planning specialists. This year, the forum is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants.