From 11 to 13 March, the 32nd International Exhibition of Tourism and Hospitality Industry MITT 2026, one of the key events in the tourism industry, was held in Moscow. This year, more than 900 companies took part in it, and the number of visitors amounted to 14,800 people. As part of the exposition, 40 countries and most regions of Russia presented their tourism potential.
Among the foreign participants are Oman, Egypt, China, Turkey, Malaysia, Maldives, Cuba, Venezuela, Tunisia, Algeria, Uganda, Namibia and other countries of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The exposition also brought together national tourist offices, regional administrations, tour operators, hotel chains, MICE operators and travel tech companies, presenting a wide range of tourism products - from mass beach destinations to niche formats of recreation, including medical, gastronomic and ecological tourism.
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko addressed the participants, organizers and guests of the exhibition with a welcoming speech. He noted that MITT annually becomes a platform for the exchange of experience, the establishment of business contacts and the search for new opportunities for the development of the tourism industry: "Russia has everything necessary for the effective development of the tourism sector. Within the framework of the national project "Tourism and Hospitality", we strive to create conditions for the growth of domestic and outbound tourism, improve infrastructure and improve the quality of service."
Senator of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Mokhmad Akhmadov noted that the exhibition annually becomes a key platform for discussing topical issues of the industry: "The MITT International Exhibition is the largest event in the tourism and hospitality industry, bringing together leading experts and market participants to find joint solutions. The tourism industry is an important factor in strengthening the socio-economic potential of the regions and requires constant improvement of legislation and infrastructure."
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development Sangadzhi Tarbaev noted that over the years of its existence, MITT has become part of the country's tourism ecosystem: "Representatives of business, government agencies and public organizations that are engaged in the development of tourism in our country on a daily basis meet at the MITT site. Here the most pressing issues of the industry are discussed and proposals are formed that help the further development of the tourism industry."
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps and international tourism organizations. Among them are the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Sultanate of Oman Azzan Kassim Mohamed Al Busaidi, the head of the inbound tourism department of the Ministry of Tourism of Egypt Ismail Amer, the Ambassador of Malaysia to Russia Cheong Lun Lai, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba Enrique Orta Gonzalez and others. Representatives of foreign delegations stressed the importance of the Russian market for their countries and noted the potential for expanding tourism cooperation.
The foreign exposition of MITT 2026 has become one of the largest in recent years, covering the entire variety of tourist products: from beach classics and new products of the season to niche segments (wellness, gastronomy, medicine) and MICE areas. The partner country Oman demonstrated the tourist opportunities of beach and mountain resorts, ecological routes and offers in the luxury and MICE segments. Egypt, which is the international tourism partner of the exhibition, presented a new strategy for promoting cultural tourism and presented the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened to visitors in 2025. China has shown the tourism potential of several regions of the country, including megacities and resorts of Hainan Island. For the first time, Namibia took part in MITT, presenting safari tours and eco-programs. Traditionally, the largest stand belonged to Turkey, and Malaysia introduced the professional audience to beach, cultural and gastronomic routes.
A significant place in the exposition was occupied by Russian regions, demonstrating a variety of areas of domestic tourism - from cultural and educational routes to ecological, gastronomic and event tourism. Visitors could discover the beauty of Murmansk and Kamchatka, appreciate the richness of the nature of Sakhalin, touch the culture of Dagestan and fall in love with the classic routes of St. Petersburg again.
The MITT 2026 business program has updated the historical record in terms of intensity, the number of speakers and listeners. At 6 venues, more than 4300 listeners attended 40+ events taking place at six venues at once. Among the key events are the Forum of Leaders of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, MITT Digital, MITT MICE, MITT Summit Hotel and the educational program of MITT Academy. The participants discussed key trends in the development of the tourism market, digitalization of the industry, investments in infrastructure and new travel formats.
During the trend session "Tourism 2026: Trends and Forecasts of the Professional Community", which opened the business program, the leading market players agreed that the industry is entering a new phase of maturity. Experts recorded key changes: the acceleration of early booking (20% of the summer volume of 2026 has already been sold) and a shift in the focus of tourists from price to quality of service and safety. Special attention was paid to the redistribution of demand against the backdrop of geopolitical events, the growth of inbound tourist traffic (China, Saudi Arabia, India) and the intensification of competition between hotels and online platforms.
The business program continued with the presentation of the results of a large-scale study "The State and Trends of the Inbound Tourism Market", prepared by the MITT exhibition together with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Russian Union of Travel Industry with the support of ROMIR. Experts presented a comprehensive analysis of the segment based on a survey of specialized tour operators and travel agents. At the session, it was announced that despite the fact that 37% of respondents record a reduction in demand, half of the market participants expect an improvement in dynamics. Specific parameters of the tourist flow were also named: the average duration of the trip of foreign guests is 5-10 nights, and 39% of respondents estimate the average check per tourist at 50-100 thousand rubles. At the same time, they also voiced systemic barriers that hinder growth, including insufficient transport logistics and difficulties with money transfers for foreigners.
On the second day, a panel discussion "Discover Your Russia: Development of Inbound Tourism" was held. The session participants discussed systematic approaches to promoting the country's tourism potential in foreign markets. Experts presented the concept of a national tourism brand, which already unites 60 regions with a single identity system. Representatives of the hotel business shared their experience in the development of regional infrastructure, and the heads of tourism departments of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation presented unique tourist products, including thermal resorts, and discussed tools for attracting foreign guests
The central topic of the MITT DIGITAL conference was the digital transformation of tourism and its impact on the market. Experts discussed key trends: the steady interest of Russians in travel with the dominance of domestic destinations, the growth of the solo tourist segment and the return of the popularity of air travel. The focus was on the development of regional tourism, where the actual growth of tourist traffic exceeds forecasts, but is constrained by infrastructure and personnel problems, as well as the transformation of tourism retail: the number of travel agencies is growing, but sales of tours in Russia in this channel are declining due to the transition of tourists to independent booking.
The most important and final event of the second day was the award ceremony for the participants of the MITT 2026 exhibition at the Sber Arena.
The winners of MITT 2026 in the following categories are:
// Expert of the MITT Connect online community — Dialogue of Peoples
// MITT Connect Online Community Expert – The Pearl Hoi An
// Expert of the MITT Connect online community — Route.Business
// The most inspiring destination is Oman
// Best National Stand - Egypt
// Best New Entrant - Namibia
// For Outstanding Presentation of the Country's Tourism Potential – China
// For many years of cooperation – Uzbekistan
// Spirit of Travel Award - Armenia
// International Country Spotlight Award – Da Nang (Viet Nam)
// Bright debut — Daichi
// For many years of cooperation – Novgorod Rus
// The point of attraction is Chuvashia
// The main mood is St. Petersburg
// Honorary participating region — Buryatia
// The legend of the exhibition is the Krasnodar Territory
// Strategic tourist region – Dagestan
// Best Representation of a Russian Region - Sakhalin
// The Land of Adventures and Tastes – Kamchatka
// For spectacular participation in the exhibition – the Atom Museum
// The most active participant is Tatarstan
Among the key partners and sponsors of MITT 2026: Sber (GigaPartner), Oman (partner country), Egypt (international tourism partner), India (partner-365 days of travel), TravelLine (general partner of the business program), Manzherok (strategic partner of the business program), Othello (digital partner), LauraEst Realty (exhibition partner), Ostrovok.ru (partner of the business program), Sollers (official transport partner), Arda Khiva (partner of the event), Vostokintour (partner of the session), Management Company Online Tours (partner of the business program session), Russian Seasons (Peresvet) (sponsor of the exhibition), Caucasus of the Russian Federation (mountain partner), SDM-Bank (partner of the MITT Travel Start ceremony), Chukotka (partner of the session), FUN&SUN (partner of the online broadcast), TUTU (partner of the pitch session), etc.