MOSCOW, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign tourists visiting Russia during the last winter season increased by nearly a quarter year on year, local media reported Wednesday.
From November to February, about 1.6 million foreign visitors traveled to Russia, Georgy Grusha, director of the department for tourism project implementation at the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, was quoted by TASS news agency as saying.
Inbound tourism grew faster than domestic tourism during the period, Grusha told the State Duma at a roundtable meeting on tourism.
Roughly half of all inbound tourists visited Moscow, he said, noting that other popular destinations included the Republic of Tatarstan, the northern Murmansk region, and the far eastern Primorye Territory.
Grusha stressed the need to diversify tourism offerings and encourage foreign travelers to explore destinations beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg, which currently receive the bulk of international visitors. ■