Tourist traffic in the industrial tourism segment in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast increased thirtyfold.

      19 November 2025 17:32 Culture and leisure

      In the Nizhny Novgorod Region, the tourist flow in the field of industrial tourism has increased 30-fold over the past four years. This was reported by the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin, at the annual meeting with entrepreneurs held on 19 November at the Nizhny Novgorod Fair.

      By the end of 2024, industrial tourism sites in the region were visited by over 150,000 people. Currently about 50 enterprises host tour groups, including schoolchildren and youth. Gleb Nikitin emphasized that the list of such routes and sites is constantly expanding, as conditions for business development are being created across the region.

      The governor noted that the hospitality industry as a whole has significant growth potential. The region is consistently promoting its tourism opportunities, developing an events calendar and launching new routes. The volume of paid services in the tourism sector increased by 22% in 2024 compared with 2023, and showed a further increase of 33% over the first nine months of the current year.

      Over the past year, the number of visitors to the region, according to Gleb Nikitin, has grown by more than half a million people. The average length of stay for tourists reached roughly two days, and this indicator continues to rise. The head of the region gave an approximate estimate: if each guest spends around 10,000 rubles a day in the region, the additional increase in tourist traffic turns into more than 10 billion rubles annually. These funds flow into the regional economy, where primarily small and medium-sized enterprises are engaged — hotels, retail and catering establishments, transport companies, museums.

      During discussions with entrepreneurs, the issue of staffing shortages in the hospitality sector was raised. Alexey Belyaev, director of the Restaurateurs' Association of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, noted that the restaurant business is in acute need of cooks, pastry chefs, baristas and managers. He also expressed the association's interest in the prompt implementation of the initiative to open a branch of the Institute of Gastronomy of the Siberian Federal University in the region.

      In addition, Alexey Belyaev proposed developing measures to raise the prestige of professions in the hospitality industry. Among the ideas he mentioned the possible creation of a system of regional awards for specialists in this field.

      In response, Gleb Nikitin reminded that the region already pays attention to recognizing the best industry representatives, including through support for national awards such as the Wheretoeat Center. This year, six Nizhny Novgorod restaurants made it into the award's top ten, which he called a significant success.

      The governor stressed that the Nizhny Novgorod Region is actively training personnel for the hospitality market. Twenty-five colleges and technical schools, as well as one regional university, graduate cooks, technologists and other specialized professionals. According to him, a branch of the Institute of Gastronomy will definitely appear in the region; a site is currently being selected to localize the resource center.

      Gleb Nikitin instructed his deputy Oleg Berkovich and the region's Minister of Tourism and Crafts, Sergey Yakovlev, to accelerate work on implementing this project.

      The head of the region also urged entrepreneurs to more actively consider cultural heritage sites and valuable urban planning environments as venues for developing modern hospitality infrastructure. He said this approach allows for preserving historic buildings while increasing the area's tourist appeal.

      He reminded that an exhibition in the adjacent hall of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair features almost 30 properties available to investors. Moreover, as the governor noted, the thematic catalog prepared by ANO "ASIRIS" contains significantly more such offers. Investors are offered the most favorable terms possible both for leasing and for purchasing these buildings.

      As an example, Gleb Nikitin cited Arzamas. Extensive work has been carried out to improve the city center, and the facades of a large number of buildings have been restored, which are now open to investors. According to him, it is logical to develop modern and attractive tourist infrastructure facilities in the city's central part, around Sobornaya Square.

      The development and promotion of various forms of tourism in the Nizhny Novgorod Region are being carried out within the framework of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality." It was initiated by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and is the successor to the national project "Tourism and the Hospitality Industry."

      It was previously reported that the introduction of a tourist tax in the Diveyevsky district has been postponed until 2027.

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