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Petersburg expects foreign tourists inflow increase by 10%

After the G8 summit the flow of foreign tourists increased by 6-7%

ST PETERSBURG, August 8 (Itar-Tass) - The G20 summit slated for September will help increase the flow of foreign tourists to St Petersburg in 2014 by 10%, chairman of the city tourism committee Alexander Shapkin said.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Shapkin said: “About 300,000 people may visit St Petersburg in 2014.”

“After the G8 summit the flow of foreign tourists increased by 6-7%,” the official said.

Currently, “world mass media mentioned St Petersburg 1,800 times. We’ll do our best to make 3,000 journalists, who will cover the summit, to have a favorable impression on the city”, he said.

The city authorities pledge that the great number of summiteers and journalists will not create traffic problems in St. Petersburg. A cultural program will be organized for the guests, Shapkin said.

In 2012, about six million Russian and foreign tourists visited St. Petersburg. In 2013, city authorities believe that the flow will grow by 5-6%, the official said.

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