ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. Russia ranks first in the number of tourists vacationing in Venezuela, Venezuelan Minister of Tourism Ali Padron told TASS on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"In 2024, we receive almost 800,000 tourists from other countries. Charter flights fly from Russia, and Russia is on the first place in terms of the number of tourists," he said.

"Of course, we have very good expectations for the entire current year, these are very optimistic expectations," he added.

As the minister noted, the tourist flow figures for the first months of this year exceed the figures for the last 20 years.

He also noted that Russian tour operators are developing trips to Margarita Island and Caracas.

"We have excellent conditions on the Caribbean coast compared to the international tourism markets of Latin America, Africa and Europe," Padron said.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is held on June 5-8. This year’s theme will be "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event.