The Altai Republic should not build a resort economy only on domestic Russian tourists; the domestic market is important, but it is limited by the incomes of the population, seasonality, transport habits and competition between Russian destinations. To create a new type of resort city, Altai needs external demand: China as a major source of tourism, Germany and Europe as a market for natural, medical and wellness tourism, Russian-speaking audiences abroad as a quick bridge to trust, language and sanatorium culture.
An international tourist will not go en masse simply to “see beautiful mountains”; he needs a clear product: a recovery program, a medical or wellness sense, routes, security, transfer, transfer, service, meals, long-term accommodation, convenient booking and the feeling that the trip is organized professionally. For Altai, this means: you need to sell not a hotel or a unit, but an international resort system.
1.The domestic market is important, but it is not enough for a large resort town
The Russian tourist already knows Altai, and the tourist flow to the region is growing, with new hotels, glampings, recreation centers, apartheid formats, routes and services, but if built only for the domestic market, the resort economy will be highly dependent on seasonality, Russian families’ incomes, transportation costs, school holidays, long weekends and the general economic situation.
For a small hotel, that might be enough. For a resort town, it's not. A resort town requires a long load, a lot of demand, different audience segments, year-round programs, and a high average check, a scale that's harder to provide only to Russian tourists.
The domestic tourist often comes in short, weekends, weekly, summer vacations, holiday days. The international tourist, especially if he buys a health, wellness or nature program, can come for longer periods, and it is the long stay that creates a sustainable economy of units, hotels, medical core, restaurants, baths, routes, glamping and service centers.
Therefore, the strategic task of Altai is not to replace the Russian tourist with a foreign one, but to add the foreign market to the domestic one.
2.Russia is again beginning to increase inbound tourism
Inbound tourism to Russia is rebounding, though it is far from the potential of a large country with natural areas, historic cities and medical tourism. According to Xinhua, citing Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, in 2025, Russia was visited by about 4.8 million foreign tourists, which is 15% more than in 2024.
Russia expects about 6.5 million foreign tourists in 2026, and Xinhua, citing Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, said this in April 2026, which is important for Altai: if the country as a whole is increasing inflows, the region should prepare the product for an international guest in advance, rather than waiting for a foreign tourist to accidentally find Altai himself.
The big takeaway is that the outside market is already opening up, but it's not going to come automatically, but it needs to be taken by product, language, logistics, partners, medical packaging and quality of service.
3.China: Largest potential market by volume
China cannot be seen as a neighbour, but as a huge market with a population multiple of Russia’s, with a large urban middle class, a growing travel culture, an interest in nature, clean air, rare routes and new territories.
For Altai, China is important for several reasons: One is scale; even a small share of the Chinese tourism market can provide a significant flow for Altai; the second is geography; the Altai, as a Chinese tourist may perceive it, may not be an abstract far-away Russia, but a rare northern natural territory with mountains, snow, forest, rivers, lakes and clean air; the third is recovery; the Chinese market is increasingly interested in health, prevention, natural recreation, family trips and status routes.
An additional factor is visa policy: In December 2025, Russia allowed many categories of Chinese citizens visa-free entry up to 30 days, including tourists, business travelers, scientists, artists and athletes, a measure that acts as a reciprocal measure after China allowed Russians visa-free entry for up to 30 days on a trial basis from September 2025.
It lowers the barrier to travel, but visa relief alone does not create a flow, and the Chinese tourist needs a product that is understandable before departure.
4.What a Chinese tourist needs
The Chinese tourist should not face chaos: he needs translation, clear program, secure transfer, payment, adapted meals, digital communication, route logic, photogenic points, medical support, clear rules and a service that is culturally sensitive.
Altai for the Chinese market can be sold not as a beach or entertainment resort, but as a northern natural territory of health and experience: strong themes: clean air, mountains, snow, rivers, forest, lakes, rare nature, medical recovery, stress relief, family programs, photo tours, winter routes, snowmobiles, boats, horses, glampings and guided excursions.
The main thing is packaged: the Chinese tourist should be offered specific products, not “come to Altai”, but 7 days “Altai: nature and restoration”, 10 days “Family wellness tour”, 14 days “Anti-stress and health”, 5 days “Winter Altai”, 3 days “Glamping and wildlife”, 10 days “Altai for entrepreneurs and managers”.
Without package logic, Altai will remain a beautiful but complex destination.
5. Germany: market of natural, sanatorium and medical tourism
Germany is one of the most important markets for natural and medical tourism. German audiences have a long-standing culture of resorts, sanatoriums, hiking trails, prevention, thermal complexes, medical observation and long-term recreation. Unlike the tourist who goes only for entertainment, German and European tourists often have a better understanding of the value of silence, regime, walking, recovery, health and the natural environment.
The economic market in Germany is very large, with the WTTC forecasting that Travel & Tourism’s contribution to Germany’s GDP in 2025 could reach 499 billion euros, with the sector supporting some 6.5 million jobs, showing the scale of the tourism culture and the solvent market, which is used to consuming quality tourism and health products.
Germany is also Europe’s largest outbound market, with 108.8 million foreign trips in 2024 and $118.4 billion in international tourism spending, according to the CBI. For Altai, this is an important figure: the German market is already actively traveling around the world, but it needs to be interested in a specific product, not a general advertising of Russia.
6.The Russian-speaking audience of Germany as a fast bridge to the Altai
The Russian-speaking audiences of Germany and Europe are particularly valuable to Altai, who often understand Russian, the culture of sanatoriums, the idea of Altai, Russian nature and health and wellness traditions, and who have a lower barrier of trust than a completely foreign audience.
Russian-speaking residents of Germany can become