The Visit Russia tourist office officially opened in the Gulf state on March 28 with a ceremony attended by Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Tourism Agency Sergei Korneyev.
"Last year, 21 million foreign tourists visited Russia," said Medinsky, noting that every year the number is growing by 10-15 percent. "Is this a lot or not?" he asked, immediately replying, "this is a very small number."
According to Medinsky, Russia's tourism potential is unfulfilled, because the country "is ready to receive not dozens, but hundreds of millions of tourists."
When asked to comment on the results of the work done, Medinsky said that it is currently "too early to talk about efficiency."
"Before, there was nothing at all," he said, noting that all this work "is done without direct budgetary injections."
The program for the Visit Russia national tourist offices was launched in 2015.
Opening Visit Russia offices contributes to the promotion of Russian tourism products, improves confidence in Russia’s tourism services and builds the country's image abroad. Six offices have already opened since July - in Rome, Berlin, Helsinki, Dubai, Beijing and Tehran.
