Moscow travel GCC is growing rapidly, as more tourists from the UAE and Gulf countries discover the city’s unique blend of history, culture, and modern attractions. In this exclusive Q&A, Regina Gleim, Head of the International Cooperation Division of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, shares insights with Hospitality Integrator on why Moscow is becoming a top destination for Middle Eastern travelers.

1. Growth in GCC Tourism to Moscow

Q: How has Moscow experienced growth in tourist inflow from the UAE and GCC in recent years?
Over the past few years, Moscow has seen consistent growth in inbound tourism from the Gulf region. In fact, in 2024 alone, the city welcomed 337,400 visitors from the Middle East — a 1.4-fold increase compared to the previous year. Notably, the UAE is among our fastest-growing markets, with arrivals rising from 18,200 in 2019 to over 62,100 in 2024.

This upward trend is no coincidence. It is supported by improved air connectivity, simplified entry procedures, and tailored travel experiences. Moreover, satisfaction levels are high, with Middle Eastern visitors giving Moscow an average rating of 8.2 out of 10, according to our research. Clearly, we are moving in the right direction when it comes to accessibility, comfort, and hospitality.

2. Why GCC Travelers Should Visit Moscow

Q: Why should travellers from the UAE and GCC consider Moscow as their next holiday destination?
Moscow offers a compelling mix of centuries-old landmarks and modern flair. For example, Red Square, the Kremlin, the Bolshoi Theatre, and the Tretyakov Gallery are iconic sites that continue to attract Emirati and GCC visitors.

In addition, families enjoy attractions such as Dream Island Park, the Moscow Zoo, and the Central Children’s Store. Meanwhile, art lovers are increasingly drawn to the GES-2 House of Culture and the Museum of Russian Impressionism. Furthermore, Moscow City, with its skyscrapers and luxury shopping, provides a distinctly contemporary experience. Additionally, green urban spaces like Zaryadye Park and VDNH showcase ecological design and interactive museums.

Ultimately, the diversity of experiences — whether it’s exploring historic estates, cruising along the Moskva River, or enjoying panoramic views from Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel — makes Moscow a destination that appeals to all ages and travel styles.

3. Initiatives for Middle Eastern Tourists

Q: What initiatives has Moscow introduced to cater to Middle Eastern tourists?
To better serve Middle Eastern visitors, we’ve launched several targeted initiatives. These include regional marketing campaigns, strategic partnerships with tour operators, and active participation in key travel industry events.

For instance, in 2024, we hosted UAE Culture Days in Moscow, which welcomed more than 300,000 attendees and celebrated cultural exchange. Additionally, we developed the Muslim-Friendly Guide to Moscow, offering information on halal restaurants, prayer facilities, and cultural points of interest.

Moreover, five major tourist centres across the city now assist in Arabic and English. Over 100 certified guides are available in multiple languages. We also introduced a Welcome Pack for Middle Eastern guests, featuring discounts on accommodation, wellness, restaurants, and local experiences.

Thanks to the Discover Moscow portal and our official Snapchat account, visitors can easily access up-to-date tips and recommendations in both English and Arabic. As a result, planning a trip to Moscow has never been more convenient for GCC travelers.

4. Family-Friendly Experiences in Moscow

Q: How does Moscow cater to family experiences?
Moscow is increasingly recognized as a family-oriented destination. The city offers a wide variety of experiences for all ages — from nature-filled eco-parks and green boulevards to aquaparks, interactive museums, and amusement parks like Dream Island.

One of the highlights is the ‘Summer in Moscow’ festival. Designed with families in mind, it includes open-air theatre, live music, creative workshops, and cultural markets. These events are held in parks, estates, and central boulevards, encouraging families to explore the city together in a festive atmosphere. Best of all, most events are free and open to everyone — from Muscovites to international guests.

Consequently, with its safe infrastructure, welcoming hospitality, and child-friendly programming, Moscow continues to position itself as a top choice for families from the UAE and the broader GCC.

5. New Attractions in Moscow This Summe

Q: What are the newest attractions or experiences that Moscow is offering this summer season?
Summer is the perfect time to visit Moscow. From June to August, the city hosts the annual ‘Summer in Moscow’ festival, featuring over 1,000 outdoor events across parks, cultural venues, and heritage sites. Key highlights include:

• Moscow Estates Festival – Over 40 historic estates host theatrical performances and immersive heritage activities.
• Theatre Boulevard – A 92-day cultural season with more than 600 live shows across 14 open-air stages and over 3,000 performers.
• Gardens and Flowers Festival – Rare botanical installations and vibrant floral displays transform city parks and public spaces.
• Music in the Parks – Live jazz, rock, electronic, and acoustic music in iconic venues like Gorky Park and VDNH.
• Forum Moscow 2030 – A citywide forum-festival designed to immerse youth and families in the technologies, culture, and lifestyles of tomorrow’s world.

In conclusion, these seasonal events allow visitors to enjoy Moscow’s artistic and cultural energy in a refreshing and engaging environment. For those looking beyond the summer months, Moscow in winter is equally enchanting — with snow-covered streets, sparkling decorations, festive markets, and traditional seasonal events. Therefore, whether in summer or winter, Moscow is a year-round destination offering unforgettable experiences.

GCC governments are placing Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) at the heart of national strategy. According to a new report from Boston Consulting Group and Dubai Future Foundation with the World Governments Summit, six RDI paradigm shifts now define the field. The message is clear: adapt policy and engagement, or risk falling behind.

The six RDI paradigm shifts, in plain language

1) Disciplines are blending. Borders between fields are dissolving. Biology meets materials science; data science powers food tech; wearables turn into nutrient-delivering “smart” textiles. Consequently, governments should fund cross-disciplinary teams, not single-track silos. Interdisciplinary grants, co-supervised PhDs, and national priorities that cross ministries all help.

2) AI + big data need safe “playgrounds.” AI accelerates discovery, from virtual experiments to predictive models. Big data multiplies that effect. However, questions around ownership, consent, and privacy demand guardrails. Therefore, create regulatory sandboxes. In these supervised spaces, researchers and startups can test new methods while regulators stress-test policy.

4) Lab-to-market must move faster—without skipping basics. Pandemic-era vaccine timelines showed what is possible when mature science meets focused translation. Even so, breakthrough speed relied on decades of fundamental research. Hence, governments should provide patient capital for early-stage work and then unlock private funding as projects mature. This cadence protects depth while rewarding delivery.

5) Impact means more than the “impact factor.” Citations matter, yet they miss real-world value. Updated scorecards should include reproducibility, adoption, jobs created, and societal benefit. Additionally, expert panels can complement metrics. When reviewers celebrate learning, not just outcomes, labs take bold shots and share negative results that move fields forward.

6) Access is widening—and narrowing. Cheap tools and open methods democratize discovery. Meanwhile, compute-heavy AI stacks concentrate power. To keep the door open, governments can fund national computing, bridge academy-industry gaps, and build open data repositories. In parallel, incentives for private knowledge-sharing will broaden participation.

Leaders across Dubai echo the urgency. Maya ElHachem of BCG underscores how AI and big data double research productivity and compress timelines in areas like drug development. Khalifa AlQama of Dubai Future Labs stresses talent, patient capital, and pro-innovation environments. Similarly, BCG’s Anna Flynn points to a future shaped by “synthetic talent,” where students treat AI as a research partner, not just a subject.

What can governments do next?

Set cross-cutting priorities. Pick missions that require collaboration—food security, resilient health, and sustainable industry. Then align budgets, grants, and procurement around those missions.

Fund the full pipeline. Back curiosity-driven research; support validation; scale pilots through sandboxes; use demand-side tools like challenge prizes and advance market commitments.

Equip the workforce. Update curricula with AI, data governance, and reproducibility. Additionally, reward faculty who co-create with industry while keeping open-science principles.

Invest in shared infrastructure. Provide secure compute, trusted data spaces, and testbeds for cities, factories, and logistics. Consequently, startups and labs build faster with lower cost.

Measure what matters. Report on translation speed, startup formation, public-private projects, and social impact. Publish the lessons. Improve the scorecard each year.

Dubai’s momentum

Dubai has already moved. The Dubai Research, Development, and Innovation Program advances a knowledge-based economy through grants, sandboxes, and targeted fields such as health, cognitive cities, AI, and robotics. As these programs scale, more founders and labs will find a predictable path from idea to impact.

Bottom line

The world’s innovation map is shifting. Governments that embrace these RDI paradigm shifts—and act with focus—will build ecosystems that prove resilient, ethical, and fast. With clear missions, practical sandboxes, AI-ready talent, and fair access to tools, the region can turn research into lasting value for society and the economy.

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Yango Group received the Dubai AI Seal at Tier S, the program’s highest level. The recognition positions the company among a select group of verified AI leaders. It also signals strong confidence in Yango’s reliability, impact, and readiness to support Dubai’s digital economy.

The announcement aligns with Dubai’s push to scale trusted AI. As Saeed Al Falasi, Executive Director at the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, noted, the seal strengthens the private sector’s AI while opening up meaningful collaboration with the government. That collaboration matters now. Enterprises want solutions they can deploy quickly, safely, and at city scale.

What Tier S means for buyers and partners

Tier S represents the top classification under the Dubai AI Seal. In practice, that level indicates high economic contribution and strong technical maturity. Therefore, buyers can shortlist certified providers faster. Procurement cycles tighten. Risk evaluations gain a common language. Most importantly, projects move from intent to impact with fewer delays.

Yango’s UAE footprint, in brief

Yango has introduced several AI-powered services in the UAE. First, a line of smart speakers runs Yasmina, a culturally aware assistant that supports Arabic and English. Next, a warehouse robotics solution automates repetitive tasks to raise throughput and consistency. Additionally, autonomous delivery robots operate in urban settings and support sustainability goals. Together, these offers show range: consumer convenience at home, efficiency in logistics, and last-mile innovation on the street.

Hyper-local by design

Recently, Yango launched YangoAI, a suite of AI technologies tailored to the GCC. That strategy emphasizes local dialects, regional norms, and sector-specific needs. Consequently, teams can deploy features that feel natural to residents while meeting enterprise requirements. The approach also supports the Dubai Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence, which encourages practical, high-trust use cases that serve people and the economy.

Why this certification matters now

Organizations across the UAE intend to scale AI. Yet leaders still ask the same questions: Is the provider reliable? Can we measure impact? Will the roadmap keep pace with fast-moving standards? The Dubai AI Seal answers those questions with a clear framework. Yango’s Tier S status gives CIOs and policy teams a strong due diligence starting point. As a result, projects face fewer roadblocks and more coordinated governance.

How the seal guides public-private work

The Dubai AI Seal classifies recipients across six tiers. S marks the highest level. The scheme was introduced by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and is managed by the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence. Because the tiers map contribution and readiness, government entities can match partners to project complexity. Therefore, pilot programs find the right scale, and flagship initiatives gain certified capacity from day one.

A statement from Yango

“We are proud to receive the Dubai AI Seal,” said Sergej Loiter, CEO of Search, AI, and AdTech at Yango Group. “The recognition confirms that our technologies meet benchmark standards and deliver real value. It also opens new opportunities with government entities and positions us as a trusted AI leader in the region.”

What customers should expect next?

Enterprises should expect clearer paths from evaluation to rollout. Certification shortens vendor selection, while Yango’s local portfolio supports sector-specific pilots. Meanwhile, residents will see more community-level benefits: better voice experiences at home, safer and cleaner last-mile options, and quieter, smarter logistics behind the scenes. In short, the seal turns policy momentum into daily utility.

The bigger picture

Dubai continues to frame AI as a tool for both growth and service quality. Certifications create the trust to build at speed. Providers earn clearer expectations. Buyers gain sharper choices. Citizens receive tools that respect culture and privacy while improving the rhythm of daily life. With Tier S status, Yango steps into that trust compact with greater responsibility and a broader mandate to deliver.

Bottom line: The Dubai AI Seal Tier S validates Yango’s technical depth and economic contribution. It also anchors future projects in a shared, government-backed standard. That combination—trust plus local execution—helps Dubai scale AI with purpose and pace.

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