Moscow is planning to attract up to 5 million foreign tourists by the end of 2010 and to double the figure by 2020, the Moscow tourism committee chairman has said, RIA Novosti reported.
"Moscow is such a beautiful and ancient city that there is no need to invent anything new to attract [tourists]. The main is to preserve historical and cultural attractions," Grigory Antyufeyev said during a live broadcast on Moscow's TVC channel on Tuesday.
He said a network of hostels for European students would be created in the Russian capital, something that Moscow now lacks. He said the tourism committee had already filed a relevant request to Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, adding that project investors had also been found.
"There are only a few places in Moscow where students from Europe can stay for just $15 a night," he said.
When the global economic crisis is over and students begin travelling more, demand for hostels would increase, he added.