MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. A record number of tourists visited Moscow in 2017 making the Russian capital one of the world’s most popular destinations, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Thursday.

He noted that last year Moscow hosted many events.

"The pilgrimage to the relics of St. Nicholas lasted for some two months. Thousands of football fans attended the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup matches. In all, more than 50 million people took part in different events in Moscow," Sobyanin said.

According to him, more than 10 million people joined the New Year’s and Christmas celebrations.

"Over 21 million tourists visited Moscow, which turned out to be one of the world’s top five New Year’s destinations for tourists," the mayor pointed out.