Russia expects boom in domestic tourism

Russian domestic tourism is gaining momentum again as the closure of air traffic with a number of countries and sanctions cut off some of the popular international destinations for Russians.The largest growth is predicted to be in the south of Russia - about 30% compared to last year with a total of 8 million people expected to spend vacations in the region during five months between May and September.The increase in demand has provoked a spike in prices for hotel accommodation and travel.Hotels and guest houses are struggling with rising prices for consumables and transfer to alternative travel platforms after major international platform Booking.com left Russia.Meanwhile, the government is investing in infrastructure to facilitate further growth of the industry.The total amount of state support of the industry should reach 1.2 billion USD in 2022 - ten times more than three years ago, according to Rostourism.