Russia’s Primorsky Krai Development Corporation (KPNK) said Monday it welcomed more than 600,000 tourists to its Primorye Entertainment Zone in 2023, representing a 30% year-on-year increase based on preliminary figures.
The Primorye Entertainment Zone is a special economic zone being developed with the strategic objective of strengthening the region’s attractiveness to both domestic and international tourists.
Among other facilities, it is currently home to two casinos – Tigre de Cristal, opened in 2015, and Shambala, opened in 2020 – while a third development by Asia-Invest Group LLC is underway.
According to KPNK, the gambling zone attracted around 50,000 visitors each month in 2023, with August seeing around 58,000 visitors – the highest monthly traffic in the last three years. While current figures are only available through September, the agency said it expects the December quarter to have maintained the positive momentum.
It added that Russian tourists comprised 86% of all visitors but that foreign arrivals are growing against the backdrop of local demand and the lifting of restrictions on individual and visa-free group tourist trips. Most of those are coming from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, with visitation from further abroad impacted by sanctions and travel restrictions in place due to the Ukraine war.