Central Bank data show that the level of deficit in the Russian tourism sector climbed to USD 17.5 billion in 2010. Total expenditures of tourists coming to Russia were USD 8.5 billion, while the amount of money Russian travelers spent on trips outside the country stood at USD 26.5 billion. According to Yuri Barzykin, the VP of the Union of the Russian Travel Industry, while the number of Russian tourists traveling abroad reached 12 million, the number of foreigners touring Russian cities and towns was only 2 million.

The World Tourism Organization reported that the figure of incoming tourists in Russia is not increasing as quickly in relation to the mean data from around the globe. Internationally, incoming tourism generally increases at the rate of 7 percent, whereas in Russia the rate of the increase is only 2 percent.