St. Basil's Cathedral
© Reuters / Christian HartmannPeople stand in front of St. Basil's Cathedral at the Zaryadye Park off Red Square in central Moscow
A study by international consulting company BCG has found that Moscow will continue attracting more travelers; the influx of tourists to the Russian capital will grow by almost half to more than 30 million visits a year.

"The successful hosting of the World Cup tournament in summer 2018 showed that Moscow can already offer world-class tourism services, and its infrastructure could accept much more intensive tourist flows than before," the authors of the research said.

The growth in the number of tourists visiting Moscow after the World Cup (from September to December 2018) was up 117 percent from the same period a year earlier. Half of the visitors said that were ready to recommend Moscow to other travelers. Before the World Cup (from January to May) the growth of the tourist influx was less than 13 percent.

Tourists
© Sputnik / Iliya Pitalev Iliya PitalevTourists take photos with the official mascot of FIFA 2018 World Cup and 2017 Confederations Cup Zabivaka wolf on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow
The research suggested that the contribution of tourism to Russia's GDP may double by 2025, with a six to eight percentage boost to the economy of Moscow. It noted that the city's revenue may also double to 1.5 trillion rubles ($23 billion).

This will be possible if the city undertakes complex measures that are critical for attracting tourists and improving their customer experience, such as promoting the city in target markets, increasing accessibility for tourists, and improving the quality of service.

Tourist choosing a souvenir
© Sputnik / Vladimir VyatkinTourist choosing a souvenir at Izmailovo Kremlin in Moscow
"Tourism is the industry that determines the country's image. Today, it is not enough to be only an economically successful state or megalopolis, you also need to be an attractive modern center for talents, investors, and tourists, while remaining a comfortable place to live in..." said BCG expert partner Konstantin Polunin.

Global tourism's contribution to the world economy was more than ten percent of GDP last year and accounted for about 30 percent of exports, according to BCG.