MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. Saudi Arabia became one of top three countries for the number of tourist trips to Russia for the first time in July-September 2025, with China and Germany taking first and second place, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported, citing data provided by the Border Service of Russia’s Federal Security Service.

"The main newcomer to this year's ranking is Saudi Arabia. For the first time, the country entered the top three (up from fourth place) among Russia's top tourist destinations, attracting 25,909 visitors (up 13%, or 3,368 visits). This record was achieved, in part, thanks to the introduction of direct flights," the report said.

During the peak tourist season, from July to September 2025, foreigners made 655,800 visits to Russia for tourism purposes. Compared to the same period last year, tourist flow decreased by 6.3%. Over half of foreign visits to the country (372,800) come from China. However, their number decreased by 13.3% in the third quarter. This decline was most reflected in the final statistics for all markets, ATOR said.

Germany ranked second in tourist flow after China (27,400 arrivals). However, those arrivals were mostly business or personal. Turkmenistan ranked fourth, with tourist flow having increased by 68.2% year-on-year to 24,100 visits. However, the majority of those visits were also for non-tourist purposes. The UAE ranked fifth (21,500, down 10.1%).

"A year earlier, the country ranked third; this year it's fifth. The decline is partly explained by a rapid start: just a year ago, there was a boom in demand for tours to Russia from the UAE. Those who wanted to go had already done so, and the rush subsided. That is, according to the results of the third quarter, Saudi Arabia overtook the UAE, which was previously the largest inbound tourism market for Russia on the Arabian Peninsula," experts said.

Turkey rose from seventh to sixth place (+12.2%). Many visits are business and personal, but organized tourists are also present. India rose from ninth to eighth place thanks to a significant (+59%) increase in tourist traffic. Oman led the growth in tourist arrivals to Russia (a 2.2-fold increase). The country entered the top ten for the first time, taking ninth place with 8,900 visits.