Moscow Targets Indonesian Tourists With Push for Halal Tourism

Moscow is trying to win back Indonesian tourists by making the Russian capital easier for Muslim travelers to navigate. The city recorded 3,600 Indonesian visitors in the first half of 2026, up 12% from the same period a year earlier.

That figure nearly equals half of the 7,500 Indonesian tourists who visited Moscow during all of 2025. It still falls well short of the 16,000 Indonesian visitors recorded in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international travel.

Maria Pasuginova, who heads the Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States and Latin America Department at the Moscow City Tourism Committee, said the city is adding restaurants and hotels able to accommodate Muslim travelers. Moscow has also gathered information on hundreds of Muslim-friendly sites, hotels and halal restaurants on its Discover Moscow platform. The platform includes mosques and other places where visitors can pray.

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Moscow continues to develop a Muslim-friendly environment, including for Indonesian tourists, and we are working to increase the number of restaurants and hotels that can properly accommodate Muslim travelers.

The city has specialized guides who can help Muslim tourists find suitable attractions and halal restaurants. It is also developing tourism packages aimed specifically at Muslim travelers.

Pasuginova said Moscow wants to learn more about foreign visitors’ cultures and habits. She said the city understands the importance of a Muslim-friendly environment for Indonesians considering a trip to Moscow.

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We are ready to learn about the cultures and habits of foreign tourists and create an increasingly Muslim-friendly environment in Moscow.