Tourists Avoid Moscow Due to Perceived High Costs, Lack of Safety – Study

Tourists are not traveling to Moscow because they think it’s too expensive and unsafe, according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey obtained by Russia’s RBC news website on Tuesday.

BCG polled 3,500 tourists and classified their answers into two categories to reflect the respondents’ biases and structural barriers. The consulting group didn’t disclose the percentages of each response.

BCG said responses that mentioned high costs, lack of safety and excessively long flights to Moscow were filed under the “biases” category, RBC cited its research as saying.

“Potential tourists form an image based on their stereotypes about Russia,” the agency was quoted as saying.

Responses naming Russia’s poor geopolitical image, difficulties with obtaining a visa and a language barrier were categorized as “structural barriers,” BCG said.

The consulting firm forecast that Moscow could be among the world’s fastest-growing tourist destinations by 2025 if its administration adopts a comprehensive strategy tailored toward improving potential visitors’ experiences.