Monday, November 10, 2008, at 13:30 p.m., in the context of WTM London 2008, a press conference of the Chairman of the Moscow Committee for Tourism Mr. Grigory Antyufeev will take place. The growth rate of inbound tourist flow to Moscow has exceeded all expectations over the last several years. According to the Chairman of the Moscow Committee for Tourism Grigory Antyufeev, beginning in 1999 foreign tourists flow to Moscow demonstrates a 10-15% increase annually. During the first half of 2008 alone the Russian capital was visited by 1 million 941 thousand foreign guests, which represents an 18 % growth as compared with the corresponding period of the year 2007 (1 million 636 thousand). So, at the moment it is already possible to presume that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in Moscow will amount to 4.5 million guests by the end of 2008.

According to the Complex Program on Tourism Development in Moscow the estimated index of foreign tourist number anounts to 5 million guests in 2010. Latest data on number of tourists who visited Moscow during the first half of 2008 give reasons to expect that the forecasted number of 5 million guests will be achieved already in 2009.

General picture of foreign tourist arrivals in Moscow  looks as follows:
1999 - 1 million 485 thousand; 2000 - 1 million 523 thousand; 2001 - 1 million 714 thousand; 2002 - 2 million 259 thousand; 2003 - 2 million 488 thousand; 2004 - 2 million 919 thousand; 2005 - 3 million 487 thousand; 2006 - 3 million 732 thousand; 2007 - 4 million 12 thousand guests.

These statistics represent a vivid confirmation of the fact that Moscow becomes not just an "exotic" but a really popular tourist place.