MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Moscow is one of the best cities of the world to visit in the New Year and Christmas holidays, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
"Moscow is on all international tourist ratings and recommendations for visiting in the New Year and Christmas holidays and is generally considered to be one of the best cities for tourists," Sobyanin said at the opening of a new hotel complex, Radisson Blu Olympiyskiy Hotel.
It became possible mainly due to Moscow Seasons, a cycle of street festivals held throughout the year, and a great number of international festivals which attract millions of people from around the world, he said.
"More than 60 million people visited Moscow festivals this year, much more than at the World Cup. So, we have potential for further development," the mayor noted.
According to materials of the Moscow Mayor’s Office, the festival "Journey to Christmas" and other Moscow Seasons festivals are especially popular among tourists. Since early 2018, 65.8 million Muscovites and visitors to the city have visited them, the Mayor’s Office reported. The World Cup, which attracted about 4.5 million tourists, also became an important long-term factor for increasing Moscow’s tourism attractiveness, the Mayor’s Office said.
The Mayor’s Office reiterated that with each year Moscow becomes increasingly recognized as one of the largest global tourism centers. By the end of 2017, Moscow was ranked second among the most photographed cities of the world, according to Instagram: the issue concerns shots posted on the network and tagged "Moscow." In addition, CNN included Moscow in the top 10 fantastic places for autumn trips in 2018, the Mayor’s Office reported.